Happily ever after, not
by Elven Dagger
Summary: So many decisions, all of them bad. So many suitors, so much pain. Garnet is stressed, tired and depressed, taking wrong turns because of wrong choices. Then, a man, rather like herself comes into her life. Will she still love Zidane when he comes back?
1. Black Spirits and Souls

**A/N: RE-UPDATING! This is new people! Hi, I'm going to be re-doing some bits of this story, especially the next few chapters. You know, correcting grammar mistakes and the like. Even so, I think I'll do more elaboration and take a slower pace of things in certain bits, which I'll tell you to read again. Anyway, this is also to inspire me to write as I haven't done this for lord knows how long. So, here goes the first re-done chapter.**

**Updated: 10/2/05**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy XI, but if only I did, think how much fun I would have! Playing around with the characters, making them obey my every command! (Laughs madly) Anyway, back to reality. This takes place before Zidane comes back, I mean, who knows what happened in that period of time? **

On a quiet night, when all was peaceful and the gorgeous moons were full, a beautiful young lady sat by the docks. On that night, many in Alexandria were happy, but then again, many were not.

The moons' reflections in the clear water sparkled, seeming to make the lady's raven hair glow, of some strange light, and brown eyes glisten. But, that may have been caused by the tears that were slowly rolling down her cheeks.

_Zidane_, she thought, _why did you leave me? I have nobody now... Freya has Fratley, Beatrix has Steiner, and even Eiko who is still a child has all the little Vivis'. I have nothing… What comfort and happiness that was left in my heart was stolen away when Vi…vi...stopped. He was my companion through all those times, and today, he left.  
_  
Her tears were flowing freely now as all her memories resurfaced.

_The inquisitive look on his face as he saw her for the first time._

_His saving her from _her own _mother._

_His arms hugging her tightly as he swung both of them off the falling building when she summoned Alexander.. _

_Her last glance of him when she was on the airship with Uncle Cid.  
_  
_Why?_ She thought bitterly, hands clenching tightly, _you had to go save Kuja didn't you? And nothing came of it.. NOTHING! Except your death and all this pain I've felt… ever since you left. Why do I even wait for you here? Why do I keep on hoping that somehow you'll just appear and...?  
_  
She couldn't complete the thought as a wave of nostalgia washed over her. A fragment of a memory, the song she had sung with Zidane watching, the feeling of peace that she had not felt for a year stole over her.

With misty eyes, she stared at the water, and she sang their song.

……

_Excellent_, an old man thought, watching through the eyes of a body that wasn't his, the queen of Alexandria rose slowly, her sweet and melodic voice ringing out. _Her pain is too great; she be easy to bend to my will. _

He made the cat he used leap, so that Queen Garnet wouldn't see him. _A cat_, he thought with a sigh_, it isn't so bad. After all, cats cannot talk to humans, and a cat is always seen in Alexandria. _

He was delighted that he had only had to wait for a month in his hiding place. Now, the opportunity had arisen. People could be sure that, he, Garland, master of ex-Terra, would make use of it to the fullest.

……

Garnet dragged herself out of bed slowly, putting on a black gown that left her shoulders bare. She brushed her elbow length black hair listlessly. _Another friend gone_, she thought wearily as she slipped on her elbow length gloves and black pearl tiara_, another hole in my heart.  
_  
She walked down the hallway slowly, joining the few that were gathered around the coffin. _Vivi's_ coffin, she thought with a lump in her throat, _not that there's anything to put in except his hat.  
_  
Everyone looked tired, but none worse than the queen. Her black garments made her seem very small and pale, her large black eyes had lost their sparkle, and there were dark hollows under them.

People began to arrive. Many things were said, but she didn't pay much attention to any of it. Lastly, all of Vivi's friends began talking about him. Puck: his first friend. The airship pilot he knew. His six kids. What was left of the group.

She rose to the podium and stared at the many people there, deliberately avoiding his coffin. "Vivi... Vivi was a wonderful friend," she began hesitantly "He was a huge help to us for our fight to save Gaia. He was more than a help... he was special." She shook her head. "He was always unsure of himself, but in the end, he managed to overcome his fears and prove again and again that size doesn't matter."

She paused, looking around the room. Eiko, Freya, Beatrix, Steiner, all of them were crying, even Amarant looked so sad. _Zidane,_ she thought angrily, _you ought to be here!_

"But," she continued, "it was never his black magic that was the most important part of him, it was always his heart. The way he would do his best to help people. The way he led the Black Mages and Genomes of Black Mage Village. The way he helped and comforted us through hard times no matter how scared he was. And most of all, he helped me, when I thought that there was no help to be found. He brought light to me when I saw only darkness. He… he showed me hope when I was mourning for... for Zi… Now he's _g-gone_..."

At this, Garnet couldn't stand it anymore. She fled from the room, tears streaming down her cheeks. She ran, as though she were trying to run away from all the pain and misery she had been feeling for the past year. She ran straight into an old, old man.


	2. That Stupid Cat

**A/N: THIS IS NEW! UPDATED! Okay, as mentioned in the chapter before, I'm re-doing chapters, though I don't think there'll be that much difference made in this one.**

**Updated: 11/02/05**

**Disclaimer: Final Fantasy XI isn't mine, but IT WILL BE ONE DAY! ONE DAY! (Evil cackling) (Meep) sorry, split personality broke through. Where was I? Oh, right, it ain't mine.  
**  
"I'm... I'm sorry," she said, but he didn't seem affected in the least by the impact when she slammed into him. She couldn't help thinking, _there's something so familiar about him… _

"Your Highness, the color suits you," he whispered. Suddenly, Garnet felt scared, she saw nothing of his face or body, except for his cold-blue eyes that pierced her from under his cloak. "It mirrors your soul."

"W-what?" she stuttered, backing away, wishing that she had her Whale Whisker. Who would have thought that she needed her weapon for a funeral?

"You needn't be afraid," he assured her, in such a tone that made her back away further. "Come now, don't you remember me?"

She stared at him, his voice was low and hoarse, making him sound... like... but that couldn't be… He pulled his tattered cloak off, revealing a craggy face, with snow white hair on a nearly bald head.

"Garland!" she shrieked.

"Ah, your memory doesn't fail you, Your Highness," he replied with a smile.

"What I remember is that you are dead!" she snapped, getting ready to summon something to blow him away. "And that you nearly killed us last time!"

He tsk, tsked her. "My dear … what was it they called you? Ah yes, Dagger." His eyes glinted dangerously. "I have turned over a new leaf. I have come to help you, for I know that you are suffering, from the loss of two of "us", as you called your companions."

"I would sooner believe Quina saying that s/he wouldn't eat for a month if I left him/her alone in the place larder," she growled angrily. "And I need no help from you, for I know that you have none to give."

"I could help you bring your friends back," he said quietly, tantalizingly just as she was about to leave. "I could teach you to bring back the dead."

Garnet stopped, feeling drawn by his words, but she eyed him suspiciously, "And how do I know that you are not lying?"

"Such mistrust," he sighed. "I want to help the people of Gaia, for I have wronged them. There is no gain for me, except for peace of heart and mind." He paused, watching her reaction. "I could train you. You have such potential, such power! You could bring back your friends and help Gaia."

"I am only skilled in White magic," she said sadly, seeming to give in.

"That is not so," he insisted. "Come with me! I will teach you a new way of life! I will show you what you can really do that not even Kuja or Brahne knew of or even guessed! I will show you the secrets of the universe."

"How did you survive?" she asked. "How did you find me?"

"I will show you… if you let me help you." came the reply. "You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Why not try it?"

_Why not?_ wondered Garnet. _I miss them so much..._ _and I could help the world. Why not indeed? Because I am cautious,_ she countered, _because he may have something up his sleeve…_ But the thought that she could see her friends again was over powering. _I have to at least try, mustn't I? For their sake and mine. I could continue to be careful, making sure that he isn't up to something…_

With that, she said the words that sealed her fate, half challenge, half agreement. "Show me."

……

"I will be on a trip for a while" said Garnet softly. "But I will come back in time for the play."

"My Queen... where are you going?" asked Beatrix anxiously. Other questions were voiced by Eiko and Steiner. The rest of the group had retired at the inn, (after much argument with the inn keeper who wanted to charge them 150 gil per night.) so they were the only ones still in the castle.

"Dag... I mean, Garnet," Eiko corrected herself. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing and everything, Eiko," she answered sadly. "I wish to find some peace and solitude. I cannot stand the death of one we treasured so much." At least she wasn't completely lying...

"B-but, what will we tell the nobles who come to visit you?" asked Steiner.

"Tell them what you will" said Garnet, dismissing it with a wave of her hand. "General Beatrix, you will rule here while I am gone. Captain Steiner, you will help her."

"B-... the nobles," began Steiner, but Beatrix placed a hand gently on his shoulder.

"Hush, Hun. The queen's probably better off without all those annoying well- wishers trying to get into her good books," she whispered.

Garnet pretended not to notice or hear the exchange between them. But, the truth was, seeing the comfortable way Beatrix placed her hand on Steiner, was so… painful. Just knowing, knowing that that could have been her and Zidane was almost unbearable.

Garnet kneeled down, her black dress rustled behind her. She took Eiko by the shoulders. "Eiko" she said quietly. "I'm doing this for my own good, for _our_ own good. I'm going to try to make something out of myself, not that huge deadweight that I was at sixteen. In fact, I probably still am one."

"Dagger," sniffled Eiko. "You were never a deadweight. If so, I must've been one too." She started to cry. "You're like a sister to me, and we even competed for the same guy!"

Garnet almost smiled at her outburst, but the corners of her mouth were pulled down by her sadness. "I'll be leaving tonight," she said with a sigh. "Look after the little Vivis, they'll need some comfort. Make sure Quina doesn't eat all the food again." She let out a half-hearted laugh at the memory of that hilarious occasion.

"_Tonight_?" exclaimed Beatrix, Steiner, and Eiko at once.

"Dagger!" wailed Eiko. "Don't do anything dangerous!"

Garnet just shook her head, wishing that she could say that she wouldn't, but how could she when she didn't know herself?

……

That night, the twin moons' glorious lights were blocked by heavy clouds, turning everything various shades of grey and black. Including the silent shadow that slipped past buildings and structures in a wisp of black.

Garnet ran lightly towards the alley Garland had told her to go to. She blended in with the dark background perfectly, for, she had swapped her orange overalls for a dark jumpsuit. The only thing that she had that wasn't black was her small carry bag (packed in it were several personal items) and Whale Whisker, which glimmered faintly. She jumped at several loud noises, but took them as nothing more than ordinary happenings.

The moment she set foot in the narrow alley, she heard a hoarse voice that made her jump in surprise. Instinctively, she was in her fighting stance, but could see nothing besides a cat.

"Do not worry." the voice came from nowhere. "Just follow my directions. I will shield you from prying eyes."

Garnet just did whatever she was told, left, right, straight, slipping through narrow gaps that looked like they weren't there. She tried to keep track of where she was going, counting all the multiple twists and turns. This failed when she turned a corner, (that annoying cat still close at her feet.) everything was pitch black… she couldn't even see her own hand. She panicked, and tried to find her way back despite Garland's assurances that everything was all right.

After much bumping and slamming into objects and walls, she gave up and followed his instructions again. At one point, it seemed that the passage way was narrowing; she had to turn sideways, listening to the occasional, five steps to the left, two to the front etc. (was that blasted cat still following her?) Suddenly, it seemed as though she had fallen into the abyss, she fell steadily downwards with nothing to break her fall. Then, she was swallowed by a blinding white light.

……

Clank. Clank. Clank. Huff. Huff.

"Fatigue rears its ugly head," panted a middle-aged man in a rusty armor, leaning against a wall.

"Steiner… hurry up!" wailed a purple-haired girl of about seven. "She's getting away!"

Breathing even more heavily, Steiner huffed, running with the girl to follow the dark figure in front of them. Nothing gave them any hint of where their prey was except for the occasional glint of light from her weapon.

"Eiko! Slow down! (huff, huff)" clank, clank, clank. Taking two more steps, he collapsed on the floor with a boom.

"Stei-ner," whined Eiko, trying to lift him up. "You're making too much noise! She'll hear us!"

Steiner rose unsteadily to his feet, gasping.

And fell.

"You're slowing us down," pouted Eiko. "Why did you insist on coming with me? Geez! I bet that it's your rusty ol' armor that's the problem. It's heavy and it makes a heck lot of noise."

"Don't insult the armor," snapped Steiner, not moving.

"It's so icky as well," said Eiko, coming up with an idea. "How ya gonna marry Beatrix in it? Are you gonna wear a suit? Have you asked her yet? Have you-"

Infuriated, he rose to his feet with newfound strength and cut her off. "Stop asking questions, you little imp!"

Eiko stuck her tongue out and kicked his armor. She squealed as he began to chase her. _At least he's moving_, thought Eiko, _Alright! We're catching up!_

Dagger was only slightly ahead of them when she rounded a corner. Eiko sprinted ahead and saw... nothing?

"AARRGGGGGHHHHHHHH" yelled Steiner as he shot past Eiko after failing to stop in time.

Eiko ignored the huge crash caused by Steiner slamming into the wall.

There was nothing there but a stupid cat.


	3. Her Broken Bones Will Mend

**A/N: NEW! Ok, this'll be one of the chapters where I slow things down. I'm really disgusted at myself for taking things so fast.**

**Updated: 11/02/05**

**Disclaimer: Don't own any of them! None, nada, zilch, zero, the number that looks like an "o" is the amount of wants that I want of this game that has been bestowed upon me! Okay, so I'm a little touchy on the fact that I don't own any of it. Can you blame me? **

**P.S. I can't do fight scenes very well, but I try. I also don't want to describe scenes like that according to the game, you know can't move, everyone gets one turn. **

**Somehow, Garnet managed to land safely on her feet, her black boots scraping the cold, grey floor. She jumped slightly as that tabby cat, that _annoying_ tabby cat landed behind her. She frowned at it, wondering whether Garland would like a feline prowling about his lair, but she did nothing as it began walking to the front. She realized that she couldn't see anything except for objects a few meters around her. As she took her first step hesitantly in the general direction of where the cat went, a hundred torches seemed to have blazed up at once.**

She could see everything now, the... the hole that she fell through, it was about 20 feet in diameter, with a strange white substance covering it. _The white light_, she decided. To the middle of the room was Garland, with the tabby on his lap.

"Garland!" she called angrily. "Where am I?"

He didn't answer; his ice blue eyes just stared of into space, the feline stretched leisurely on his thighs.

She couldn't control the impatience and tension that was welling inside her. "Answer me you scumbag!" Using the fairly, shall we say colorful language that Zidane taught her long ago.

She gasped and backed away as a strange white light emitted off the cat's body. An eerie cyan glow from Garland's motionless body began to spread. Slowly, both lights gleamed, stretching across the expanse of the room. When they mixed and met, it was neither blue nor white, but a huge burst of gold.

Garnet felt herself thrown off her feet by the impact of the two lights reactions to one another. When she opened her eyes, dizzy from shock and pain, she saw the cat yowl and streak away. Looking up, she saw Garland looming over her.

"How... but... how?" she stuttered.

"Come, your highness, I'll show you to your room," said Garland, beckoning her with his finger. Garnet got up slowly and followed him through numerous hallways, all hewn from rough stone. After several twisting narrow turns, Garnet found her self in a fairly large room, done in black and white. It was nicely furnished, a large white closet at one end, a huge white bed with black covers in the middle, black marble flooring with tables and chairs of that sort arranged with the taste of a professional designer.

Garnet sat down on a white leather couch, Garland however, remained standing.

"Needless to say," began Garland the moment Garnet sat down. "You have many questions. I will start with your first. You are in my current home." he held up a hand as Garnet opened her mouth to speak. "Wait, let me explain everything. I arrived on Gaia about a month ago, making my home, (he paused, surveying the furniture and decorations with satisfaction) I settled down and waited for a chance to speak to you."

"That cat-" said Garnet.

"Yes, yes," sighed Garland. "The cat. I have found a way to take hold of simple sentient beings, control it, I mean. Provided that my body remains safe, I will be able to return and repeat the process if and when I wish it. It involves a complex changing of magic and the body's neutrons which happen to be constructed in such a manner that-" he stopped abruptly. "My mind wanders off the subject, I'm afraid. This does tend to happen when one ages."

"Garland," Garnet said sternly, "I don't give a damn for how old you get, don't change the subject. Why did you want to control that cat?"

"Such language," muttered Garland. "To watch you, of course. I needed to be able to speak to you without causing alarm. When your mage friend Stopped, a window of opportunity opened for me to help you."

"Why are you alive?" asked Garnet. "We thought you dead."

Garland looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure myself. All I remember was falling and being able to broadcast my thoughts once in a while. When I landed, quite painfully I might add, I was in a beautiful place where I spent my time rethinking my horrible doings. I realized that I was wrong to try to sacrifice one world for another."

"It's about time," Garnet muttered grouchily.

"Anyway," Garland went on, pretending that he hadn't heard her. "I managed to come back by opening a doorway. I believe that when I fell off that cliff, I fell through a portal and landed in that unknown world. So, I longed with all my heart and used whatever magic I had left to bring me here, to Gaia, to _you_." At this, he stared at her, his never faltering gaze piercing her.

"Why me?" she asked, shifting nervously under his stare. "Why not Mikoto? Or Eiko?"

"Like I said Your Majesty," he explained. "You have potential, great power. Mikoto can only do what Zidane did, destroy. Eiko... she is young, her power not as fully charged or potent as your own. They are not suitable for Gaia's needs."

Garnet said nothing, trying to absorb the information. "Y-you can teach me how to bring Vivi back? Bring Zi-Zidane back?" The tremble in her voice was the only hint that showed all the emotion she felt.

"Yes," he said, with a gentleness that reminded her of her father. "And maybe help Gaia, should it be consumed by darkness."

Garnet just nodded and stood up; Garland led her away, in more ways than one.

……

"From now on, I will call you Dagger," said Garland as they walked down one of the many hallways. "Here you are not a Queen, but my student."

Dagger just nodded, but stopped suddenly. "Wait, I left my Whale Whisker in my room."

"Do not worry," said Garland reassuringly. "I will give you a weapon worthy of you. We will begin by training your physical strength first, because I believe that seems like your weakest point. You rely rather heavily on magic, don't you?"

Dagger said nothing, she remembered the times when she had wondered why Eiko's attacks were more powerful than her own. She followed him to a musty looking door at the end of the hallway. With a wave of his hand, it flung open.

They entered a large circular room filled with every weapon imaginable. The Excalibur II, Ultima Weapon, Tiger Racket, Mace of Zues... In the very center was a rod that caught her eye; she walked towards it without thinking, drawn by its power.

She picked it up hesitantly. Immediately, it seemed to pulse and warm up, it felt so comfortable in her hand. It wasn't exquisite or anything, but it seemed so... special to her.

It was slightly longer than the normal length of a rod, and was a jet-black color that gleamed. At the top, was a strange looking sphere that glowed blue, the same blue as the light she saw in Branbal. At the other end was a sharp curving shape, like a scythe, it seemed almost as strong as Zidane's Ultima weapon. On its polished surface were the words carved in silver "For Death, There Will Be Life."

"Yes," said Garland approvingly. Dagger jumped, she had been so transfixed that she had forgotten that he was even there. "You picked it out right away. That, Dagger, is the Reaper's Rod. I made it myself, fashioned rather like a Grim Reaper's scythe isn't it? Made only for you."

"It- it's gorgeous," she breathed, taking it up and twirling it with ease.

"You handle it well," said Garland with a smile. "Now let's see how you use it. We shall proceed to the training ground that I set up."

……

For the next few weeks, Garland taught Dagger maneuvers with her new weapon. She learned to defend and attack against dummies and apparitions he set up, but never a real creature. She practiced moves that she'd always seen Beatrix use but was never able to do herself. Yet, her lithe body and quick mind enabled her to pick up quickly. Despite the new experience, she found herself getting bored. Learning was all very well and good, but it was never quite the same as doing things for real. Dagger was itching to put all her new knowledge to the test.

Then, fortunately or unfortunately, Garland sensed her impatience and declared her ready to fight.

As they walked, Dagger breathed in and out trying to curb the anticipation and excitement that welled up in her. _Finally! _She sighed inwardly. Finally she'd be able to fight for herself, to be the one in the offensive. Not holding the role of Healer that she was so often stuck with when she was traveling.

"We're here," Garland's dry voice jolted her back to the present.

In front of her was a huge door, made of the strongest materials possible, Garland was standing by an odd looking machine. In front of him was very strong glass that was almost unbreakable and enabled him to see what was going on behind the door. He pulled several levers and the door opened slowly.

"Go in, but do not use summoning magic! You haven't been taught yet," called Garland. "I will control the type of monsters being sent to you."

Dagger entered and gasped in surprise. She seemed to have walked into a huge field filled with bright sunshine, but when she looked up, she saw grey stone and soil, held up by a glass dome. She walked on slowly, Rod held in front of her guardedly.

"Get ready!" Garland yelled. _For what?_ Dagger wondered, there was nothing there but... Three charging Zaghnol?

Her instincts took over and she turned to run, but something seemed to stop her. Instead of fleeing and screaming Zidane's name as she would have done a year ago, she stood her ground and smirked. She felt a feeling of confidence and invincibility steal over her. The Rod in her hands grew warm, almost seeming to hunger for the taste of blood. She slashed at the first beast viciously, and it collapsed to the ground, dying at once from her powerful blow.

She was astonished by the power of the Rod, but the situation did not allow her to dwell on it as she paid the price for her lack of concentration when one of the remaining Zaghnol rammed her. She flew back, the wind knocked out from her and her ribs severely bruised. It took her moments to regain her senses, not at all used to such physical abuse. She looked up only to be able to roll to the side, barely avoiding the beast's trampling hooves. With a heave of strength, she found her feet, desperately jumping from side to side.

_Think, _she urged herself desperately. She'd been taught to use her mind as well as her instincts in battle, but learning about it and talking about it was very different from actually doing it. Then, as she saw her attackers heading to her, she was struck by an idea. She began twirling her Rod, faster and faster until the scythe part of it turned it into a whirling circle of Death. With this held firmly above her, she dove nimbly between the two Zaghnol, giving them numerous cuts.

They bellowed in pain, before they too, fell. Dagger stood up, surveying the carnage. She felt an odd sense of accomplishment and joy at the sight of the creatures' mangled bodies. _Oh Zidane,_ she thought giddily as she stared at the death she'd caused_, if only you could see me now. Your hapless little Dagger actually defeating something without anyone's help!_

Abruptly, she threw back her head and laughed. It was a laugh that rang through Garland's lair, and maybe to the pair of ears of one who was still wide awake at Alexandria from above. She couldn't help herself, there was just such a feeling of evil pleasure burning in her breast.

"Well done, my pupil!" yelled Garland, who was halfway across the field.

"Garland!" she shouted, caught up in the euphoria of her success and the heat of the battle. "That was too easy! Give me a _real_ challenge!"

Garland suddenly materialized at her side. "I can't let you rely to heavily on weapons either," he whispered. He made several gestures with his arms before pointing at her.

Suddenly, she felt her knees buckle and her limbs felt heavy, as though someone had dunked her into a large pool of thick, thick liquid, making it tiring for her to move. She strained angrily, trying to move her feet, using all her might to run after Garland. Even so, her pace slow and her movements awkward, she felt fear grip her heart.

"What have you done to me?" she yelled, frustrated.

"I am keeping those on you to improve you body strength. When you are free of them, your movements will be quicker. Now, I'd advise you to stop yelling and prepare for the challenge you asked for."

He looked very smug as he strode back to the control panel. He hadn't meant to do it so soon, but she was a very fast learner, and was getting -how to put it- a little too confident.

Getting trampled ought to humble her a bit, he thought. Then again, maybe it is a little too harsh. He reconsidered as he saw her struggling to lift her Rod. She is only a beginner, and I only use this method for seasoned warriors.

But, it was too late. Two Grand Dragons had already been released and were charging towards the lone figure that faced them. Oh well, he reassured himself; her broken bones will mend in a few weeks.


	4. Live for Death, Die for Life

**A/N: NEW! Yes, this is another chapter where things will be slowed down and I will add stuff.**

**Updated: 13/02/05**

**Disclaimer: (sigh) if I've said it once, I've said it before. I don't own Final Fantasy XI. The plot is mine, and that is copyrighted! And now, the chapter you've all (not) been waiting for! **

Dagger wanted to scream in rage and fright. She could barely lift her feet! How was she supposed to fight? She glanced at Garland, who was far away, safe, at the control panel. He was shaking his head, perhaps in disappointment.

Suddenly, Dagger felt something flare inside her, something that felt very like Trance, but not quite. She gripped her Rod tighter. Abruptly, she knew what she was feeling. Determination. The fiery determination to win, determination to triumph against impossible odds and determination to prove to Garland that she was not weak. Newfound strength coursed through her, she didn't even think for a moment about summoning, not that that would have helped much, and Garland had restricted her from doing so.

She broke into a run, heading towards her attackers not at a very fast speed, but fast enough. The energy and strength she that coursed through her came not from her weapon, but from her heart, her will to succeed. She leapt high up, trying to imitate Freya, and landed on the nearest reptile's back. Or at least its lower back. If not for her training, she sincerely doubted she would have gotten off the ground.

As it was, Dagger landed somewhere below the wing joint. For a split second, she scrabbled frantically against the slick scales before her brain caught up with her. With a quick flick and twist, she hooked her scythe through the dragon's thick hide and in to its flesh, flipping herself up as she'd been taught. Landing on its neck she swiped it over and over again. With the aid of her Rod to propel her and a good deal of luck, she leapt from one dragon to the next, stabbing and slashing their weak points furiously.

She gasped in pain as one of the great claws ripped through her flesh, tearing the back of her jumpsuit. She could feel the poison entering her bloodstream, but she couldn't be bothered with that now. To be constantly on the move was crucial, as it was, many a Thundaga and Firaga had grazed or glanced her, tiring and weakening her considerably. She knew that if it hit her point blank, she was doomed.

She used her Rod to pierce the monsters again and again. Finally, the second Dragon collapsed. She stood up, shakily rasping out a Cura to try and seal up her many wounds while gulping down an antidote that she had gotten from her pocket. Although tired, she faintly realized that her magic wasn't working quite as well as usual, but she dismissed the thought due to her exhaustion.

She turned to face Garland triumphantly, not showing any of the pain that she was feeling despite the fact that she was on the brink of collapse. Even from a distance, she could see his mouth opening and closing in astonishment. She crossed her arms and lifted her head in defiance.

……

What.

On.

Gaia.

Just.

Happened?

Garlands mouth hung open like a goldfish. How could she adapt so fast? How could she take the pain so easily? The Dagger he _thought_ he knew would have been knocked out from one Poison Claw attack! Never in his life did he expect this to happen, he thought that he had seen in it all when his previous student astounded him by managing to get used to the heaviness a week after he cast it, and the boy had been in training much longer than her!

Queen Garnet was a much faster learner than he imagined. Let's just see how fast, he thought with a grin.

……

Dagger knew that something was up the moment she saw that smile. Even as she tensed up her already weak body, she couldn't help noticing from the back of her mind, that she had survived the attack. She was sure that she would have been rendered unconscious by the numerous cuts and the huge slash on her back. Many of them had yet to heal, but she was still standing, and that was a lot of difference from before.

The sound of thunder broke her thoughts. Wait a second, she wondered, there isn't even a sky in here! She turned around slowly, not of weight of body, but of dread of heart. She gaped at the scene before her. _Gods of Alexandria, eidolons of life, summons of Madain Sari, help me_, she prayed_.  
_  
Charging at her and forming a ring around her to ensure no escape, was almost every beast imaginable. There were dragons, Earth Creatures, Metal Men, undead monsters, and many more that she had long forgotten, all surrounding her. There were far too many to count, she didn't even want to know how many there were! All she knew was that she was doomed.

"Garland!" she screamed frantically. "I can't handle this many! Take them away!"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Garland leaning against the controls smugly, and smirking. She felt anger burning in her chest and wash over her. How dare he mock her so? Maybe she shouldn't have been so defiant, but she was just trying to prove a point_! If there's one thing I'm sure of_, she thought angrily_, I'll win this match or die trying.  
_  
Most likely die trying.

……

She gasped in pain as a Zaghnol rammed into her, flinging her aside. A wave of zombies and other undead creatures came rushing after it, trying to trample her. She narrowly avoided being pounded into the ground. Throwing Phoenix Down at the Undead while knocking out an Ash, she leapt around in total disarray; being pierced by Cactuars that she couldn't see didn't help either. Dagger tried to defend and attack at the same time, only to fail completely. Many creatures fell at her feet, but many more avoided her panicked thrusts and got to her. For every creature she killed, another two more attacked.

Already, her body was getting more and more sluggish, as the creatures finally broke down her defenses; she fell to her knees under the unbearable rain of blows. She screamed something incoherent before her body failed and her mind blacked out.

……

Garland watched in amusement as Dagger fought desperately. She was only acting out of instinct, and obviously was not at her best. She had killed or mortally wounded over twenty monsters by now, judging by the corpses littered around her lithe figure. He winced as a Tonberry's knife narrowly missed her.

Suddenly, she seemed to have gathered her wits and held back the endless wave of attackers, ignoring her deep wounds. Then, she faltered and they washed over her.

Before the mass of monsters covered her completely, he could distinctly make out the words she yelled. "ALEX... PROTE- SARI-"

He sighed, obviously she wasn't all that good, as he suspected. Still, she had already done far better than he thought she would. Then again, who could be that good? He doubted that even he could defeat such great numbers, with or without magic. Not even an eidolon could stop that frenzied mass.

He pulled back the lever, to take the monsters back in. Nothing happened except that their attack became more violent. He frowned in confusion and pulled the lever down again. Still nothing happened.

Sweat formed upon his brow as he jabbed buttons and controls, the machine didn't respond! It was obviously malfunctioning, or either that, the monsters were too close to killing the young summoner that they refused to give up until she had drawn her last breath. What kind of teacher was he to have his student killed in a mere month?

Abruptly, he stopped as a movement from the field caught his eye. It was a body, slowly rising. _A body_! He turned around to gape at the miracle taking place before him. As Dagger's bloodied and bruised body floated above the midst of horrors, light began to glow of her, a rainbow hue that the monsters paid no attention to. They continued to jump, trying to tear her apart.

As yet another claw pierced her already broken body, the seemingly motionless Dagger screamed suddenly. She screamed and screamed. A high- pitched inhuman sound. Garland covered his ears even while he stared at the jerking, bucking figure.

A blinding burst of light caused him to throw one arm up to shield his eyes. Even with both arms held protectively in front of him and eyes closed, he could still feel the searing light through his eyelids.

With an almighty, explosive boom, the ground shook and trembled, the force of explosions and movement flung Garland of his feet. He lay huddled against the wall, afraid to rise should something happen again. When at last he thought that it was over, he stood up, blinking dust out of his eyes.

He stepped forward hesitantly, rubbing his eyes and blinking several times, as though he wanted to make sure that he wasn't being deceived. Through swirling clouds of dust, he could see the bodies of the monsters he sent, dead on the ground, just like that. But, that wasn't what amazed him, he thought he saw a very mirage-like building... one that he had no trouble remembering. He shook his head; _it couldn't be... Not that one.  
_  
Still shaking his head, he picked his way over corpses, carrying his shallow-breathing pupil away. Not even an eidolon, eh? He reflected, remembering his thoughts moments ago, he didn't expect to be proven wrong so fast. This would require some thinking...

……

It was early morning in the city of Alexandria, shops were opening, children were running about in the bright sunshine while their mothers frantically chased them, merchants were bossing customers around. Yes, it was a typical morning in the kingdom.

This was not so for a beautiful lady who stood on a balcony. Her medium brown hair shone in the early sunlight, and her eyes (one of them was covered by some sort of decoration.) had bags under them, evidence that she had not gotten a wink of sleep the for the past few nights.

General Beatrix sighed and massaged her head gently as the two behind her began arguing again.

"If it was not for you in that armor, we would have caught her!" yelled Eiko.

"What?" squawked Steiner. "_Me_? You were the one jumping up and down like a monkey! Whining like a Metal Man with rusty joints!"

"_Me?_" screeched Eiko, putting her hands on her hips. "You were the one making more noise than a herd of Zaghnol! You're getting old!"

"_Old_?" sputtered Steiner. "You're the one who-"

"Well, _you're_ the one who-" shouted Eiko.

"Will both of you _please_ stop yelling!" shouted Beatrix, cutting them both off with a murderous glare, both of them shut up, knowing that it wasn't wise to challenge the general in such a mood. She sighed; none of them had slept since their disastrous failure to follow Queen Garnet weeks ago. What was truly annoying was the fact that Steiner and Eiko kept dragging up old battles.

"Look." she said in a calmer voice. "It was nobody's fault. We shouldn't even have followed her in the first place. We might as well be ready to explain what happened to Freya and the rest when they-"

She stopped abruptly, both she and Steiner were gazing at Eiko who was standing rigidly.

"Dagger..." mumbled Eiko, eyes sliding out of focus before she collapsed.

"Eiko!" Steiner and Beatrix yelled, hoisting the girl up. She was shaking and trembling all over, she couldn't seem to concentrate, and her eyes were looking at something invisible to others, rolling wildly.

She gasped, as she saw something in her minds eye. "_Nooo_!" she screamed, writhing in the two knights' iron grip. Beatrix put a gentle hand on the convulsing girl's horn, a muttered spell brought Eiko back to her senses.

Eiko held her head in her hands, breathing rapidly. "There's something happening," she mumbled, refusing to meet their eyes. "Something's going on with Dagger."

"Eiko," said Steiner, panicking. "What is it? What just happened to you?"

She raised her head, and they could see tears in her eyes from what she had just witnessed. "I just had a… a premonition" she began, seeing the blank looks on their faces, she continued. "A glimpse of what was to be. My grandpa once told me that... that I'd experience this when something big was about to happen. I saw everything clearly, but I didn't understand it."

"Tell us what you saw," said Beatrix calmly, despite the fact that she wanted to scream and cut some monsters down for the sake of it.

"A huge, dark cloud, there were no images. My grandpa said that there usually are pictures, but...but this has to mean something! I just saw that cloud, it was terrifying, making dark promises that evil shall be unleashed," she blurted out, unable to control her fear. "It was evil. There was even a voice, someone was there trying to stop the cloud! He sounded kind of like...like Zidane."

Both her listeners gasped at her statement, thinking that perhaps they should bring the young girl to Doctor Tot for the sake of her mental health.

"But, it wasn't him," she continued, oblivious to the stares they gave her. "It sounded like him, but it definitely wasn't. Whoever or whatever it was, he just said, _'Many before you have died for Life, but one of your lost tribe, the very being that may change the course of the future might live for Death, Gaia will end if help is not found. You young Carol, Die for Life, or Live for Death? Help her choose.'" _

"You can't _possibly_ mean, that you believe that he was referring to," began Beatrix who had just found her voice.

"I didn't tell you two this," said Eiko, interrupting her. "But last night, I heard a faint laugh. It was… I don't know how to describe it, but it was… cold. Just cold and cruel, I… I could hear the satisfaction it felt for something, and it was as though it came from a twisted being. I know this sounds mad, b-but that actually reminded me of-"

She stopped suddenly, making odd movements. Then all three of them heard the slightest sound of someone screaming in the distance, they gasped in shock as they thought that they knew who it was. Beatrix charged towards the balcony, leaning over to try to see where it came from. She was thrown off her feet as the ground shuddered dangerously, she clamped her hands over her ears as blasts sounded.

Minutes later, it all stopped. Beatrix rose cautiously, dusting herself. Everything was quiet, but the citizens of Alexandria were doing their usual duties, many assuming that it was an Earth Creature throwing a tantrum.

This was not so for the three who stood on the balcony.

They had heard the cries of an important 17-year-old girl. They had seen the faintest outline of a pair of great wings.

**Author's note: Hey people, you guys had better review! I hope that I'm not turning Garnet into a Mary Sue. If you notice, I did not let her win all the time, or let her get away virtually unscathed. I guess that I'm just saying this 'cuz I love Final Fantasy XI so much, that I would never try to change their characters into Mary Sues or Gary Sues. Although I do admit that I'd like to toughen up Garnet a bit. I mean, I wasn't exactly thrilled by the way she always relies on people. **


	5. Memories of Death

**A/N: OK, I'll be getting rid of a few errors in this chapter, but that's about it, no big changes.**

**Updated: 14/02/05**

**(If you're wondering why I have time to update on a school day, it's because I'm at home, with a fever and no voice. Bah.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!  
**  
_A young lady of sixteen ran frantically up hidden staircases that she had just found. Every few steps she took, the armors behind her crossed their swords, giving her no way back, but they needn't have done so, there was a strong lure pulling her irresistibly towards an unknown source, she had no will to return. The sharp clash of metal rang out eerily, echoing through the mostly empty hallways, as though signifying that something was about to happen. _

_"Sarah of Madain Sari, last lady of the lost summoners, Princess of Alexandria, embrace your future."_

_The lady didn't know who was speaking, she just knew that she had to keep going... going... Despite the fact that every sensible nerve and fiber in her body was screaming at her to stop and turn back, she knew that she couldn't, she wouldn't._

_"Child of light and darkness, open the doors that are locked, from spirit, mind and soul."_

_The misty voice caressed her, it displayed an affection and urgency that made her charge up the stairs in a frenzied pace. She knew naught what the voice meant, but it reminded her of her mother's warm embrace when she was but a mere babe, the image of her **real** mother's warm smile seemed to be hung in front of her tantalizingly as the invisible presence coaxed her towards the eye of the storm._

_Every time she took a wrong turn, an undetectable force would push her back, back towards her original path. By the time a winding staircase materialized in front of her, she barely blinked. By then, she was in a trance-like state, simply following her instincts and heart. _

_When she reached the last floor that had intricate carvings on the marble ground, she felt a strange sense of bonding, of being whole. She turned, hands outstretched, knowing who was behind her without really looking. Both of them grasped the other's hands, and a glowing aura came off them, the last two summoners, woman and child, the last of their kind. _

_Garnet knew that there was the magic of an unknown eidolon stirring somewhere, waiting to be called. She knelt down slowly, still holding hands with Eiko as she followed Eiko's instructions. When she said the ancient chant, the stirring grew stronger and stronger, the fire of magic coursed through her body, exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. Although Eiko was right next to her, only she could feel the pain and pleasure of the summons, for this was her eidolon, to control and do with as she wished._

_She rose and stumbled as the already large building shook and rumbled as it expanded. It grew and unfolded a giant pair of wings. She gasped as she saw Bahamut, King of Dragons flying viciously towards them, summoning its awesome fire. But, even the lord of the reptiles couldn't compare to Alexander, Guardian of Alexandria. The huge eidolon shot out blinding streaks of blue lights. They danced about, multiplying and increasing in speed and length. Bahamut weaved in and out, escaping several webs of power only through its speed and nimbleness._

_Garnet focused her attention along with her eidolon's, lending it strength and energy, causing it to throw out even more beams, finally ensnaring the great dragon. Bahamut writhed and twisted in the net of light to no avail, the net tightened further until it wrapped the eidolon up till it exploded into thousands of tiny shards of light, causing the dragon to fall under her control once more._

_Though drained, Garnet was caught up with the feeling of sweetness that she felt, shared with Alexander in a bind of summoner and eidolon, queen and protector. So, she didn't notice the Invincible until it was right on top of them._

_She yelled helplessly and her stance wavered and legs wobbled as a huge eye opened up, causing a wave of nostalgia to wash over her. She grasped her head tightly, trying to focus on the memories that were rushing through her head, memories long lost through the mists of time _

_'A glance of an old man yelling hoarsely at a mere six year old child that was herself... glimpses as he pushed her heroically out of the way when the remains of a tower crashed on him... _

_"Grandpa!" came the child's shrill cry. _

_... out of the corner of her eye, she saw her best friend, Elessa in her cozy house that was bursting with flames... _

_"Elly!" She yelled, as if trying to save young girl by her mere voice. But, it was no use, Elessa's long white blond hair caught fire and her huge gray eyes widened as the flames licked her body. Her small mouth opened in a silent scream of pain that could not reach her companion's ears._

_The child watched in horror as the fire devoured her before finally turning away..._

_...A brunette who looked like an older version of the child swept her up, speaking to her in a voice of one who'd failed…_

_...Now she was in a stormy sea, with only her thin cloak for protection. She hugged herself and curled up in a ball, staring at the only home she ever knew being destroyed and disappearing before her very own eyes... Tears streaming down her face as her mother pulled her into a tight embrace, shielding her from the harsh winds...' _

_Garnet couldn't stand the gushing flow of images, a fragment here, a glimpse there, she squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to watch the people she cared for die all over again. Alexander bucked in its trap, Garnet tried to concentrate on the present, but that was nearly impossible for the eidolon's pain was adding on to her own pain of heart. The once great god was defenseless because of the powers that ensnared it, she cringed, noting out of the sane bit of her mind what was going to happen. Alexander wouldn't be caught, it was too powerful, she wouldn't allow it, and neither would the eidolon itself._

_She knelt on the ground; Eiko was beside her, yelling something. But, she ignored her companion, she was experiencing torture that Eiko did not feel. White-hot swords seemed to pierce her fragile body, stabbing her over and over again. It was the pain that the eidolon itself was feeling as it prepared to self-destruct. _

_Before it blew, before she was rescued by a certain blond haired boy, she heard the same voice whisper. "I'll serve you again one day... my Queen."'_

……

Dagger woke up to the coppery taste of blood in her mouth and extreme soreness in her limbs. She tried to open her eyes groggily, but saw nothing except for a huge swirl of black objects and blacker shadows. She fell back on her bed, feeling as though her head was about to explode from dizziness and the humongous headache she was having.

She forced herself up and her mind to think. When she finally focused her eyes, she realized that she was in her own bedroom. She winced as she glanced down at herself, her body was torn and bloodied, and her clothes shredded pieces of cloth. At least Garland hadn't tried anything so foolish as to bathe her, she thought with a shudder.

"You awaken at last, my pupil," said a voice from nowhere.

"Garland," she croaked, coughing out blood. "How did I get here? Where are all the monsters?"

He walked over to her wordlessly, handing her a bucket to cough in and a glass of water. He turned on several dim lights as he sat on a chair next to her.

"I believe that I will start tutoring you in the use of magic soon," he announced, oblivious to her questioning eyes.

"Garland," she growled, feeling a searing pain pierce her stomach while she spat out more blood. "I don't exactly feel like discussing future lessons when I'm half dead."

"More than half, actually," he replied sharply, an unusual look in his eye. "In fact, you're lucky to even be alive."

Dagger opened her mouth, obviously to ask a question, but no words came out, instead she doubled over jerkily, filling her bucket.

"However, I suppose that answers can wait," he said, eyeing her warily. "In your present condition, you need to be cleaned up. The bathroom is down the hallway, clothes are already laid out for you."

She nodded, taking a gulp of water and he exited her room like a giant bat, dark and silent. She got up carefully, testing her legs, almost falling over. She cursed him silently, realizing that there were still huge weights attached to her limbs. She stumbled out, holding on to her Rod like a walking stick. She shuffled to the bathroom, dragging her legs slowly. After many minutes of pained and forced steps, she finally made it and leaned against the wall in relief when she arrived.

Dagger eyed her surroundings, noting that it was about as colorfully decorated as her room, in other words, black and white. She was right next to a white linen cupboard, a black and white basin near her and at one corner was a huge marble black tub, able to seat at least seven people comfortably.

She walked over to it, wondering where the water came from. She fingered the carvings on the sides, her hands coming to rest on what looked like a giant protruding eyeball. She pushed it gently, it glowed red and orange. Then the pupil slid open and water gushed out, scented with assorted herbs and perfumes.

She gazed at it uncertainly. Suddenly, she remembered, the Dream. That eye full of haunting images and tears, full of wounded spirits and souls of those who were torn away from their loved ones by that that was in the sky were screaming out in anguish.

She shook her head, trying to grasp the memories of her already fading dream that was slipping through her mental fingers. She saw tears... fire... She sighed and gave up. After all, there were more dire things at hand, for example, her physical health.

She stripped of her tattered rags gingerly, wanting to scream in pain as they brushed her open wounds. She glanced at the large mirror over the basin, the corner of her mouth twitched. Beatrix would be hysterical if she could see her right now, Steiner would be even more so.

Her normally glossy hair seemed to have gone mad and resembled a rat's nest, most of her body was black and blue, the parts that weren't were covered with blood and grime from the huge gashes all over herself. She gripped her Rod tightly, hastily muttering a cure to seal her injuries. To her surprise, the magic sparked and fizzled, very little difference was made. She frowned, holding her Rod even tighter and tried again, without success. At last, she gave up and lowered herself gently into the soothing water.

Dagger gritted her teeth as the water attacked her wounds, ignoring the sting, she bathed hastily. By the time she was done, there was a notable change in the water's color, a heavy tone of red and black now stained the once crystal clear liquid.

She opened a medicine drawer and took several large doses of Potion. She was relieved to find that this method had not failed her. She wrapped a bandage on the once large now smaller wounds on her arms, back and legs while applying ointment to her steadily fading bruises.

Dagger opened the linen cupboard and took out a fluffy towel and the garments that were left for her. After toweling herself dry, she took a closer look at the. There was even a skimpy pair on undergarments, Garland sure planned ahead for everything, she thought with a blush.

She held up the skirt and blouse and examined it with a queer look on her face. It was completely black except for the silvery white decorations around the edges. The top had flared sleeves and a very low neckline, baring her stomach. The skirts waistline also plunged downwards, separating around her mid-thigh, revealing most of her legs and covering only the back. (Amazing her underwear didn't show.) To finish off the ensemble, she pulled on a pair of leather knee high boots, onyx, with the same silvery edgings.

She stared at her reflection, blushing at how revealing her outfit was. She grabbed a hairbrush near the sink while mental hands rummaged through her memory, searching for an image long lost. She carefully picked out several strands of golden hair that was caught in the brush by someone else before combing through her own almost raven mass, leaving it untied.

She set the brush down abruptly. Kuja. That was who she reminded herself of. Her clothes were almost the same design as his. Minus the armor that he always wore on the shoulders, change the color and ignore several minor differences, they would look exactly alike. She frowned at the resemblance, change light to dark; male to female (though their figure was roughly the same), and this was the result.

She shook her head again in defiance and glared back at her reflection angrily. "I will never become anything like him, nor do I resemble him in the least," she muttered, clutching her Rod. "I am not Garland's puppet, not his Angel of Death, and never will do him any good. I do any good. I do this all for my own purposes. All for my friends."

She plodded out of the bathroom slowly, wishing that her words wouldn't sound so hollow to her own ears.

**Author's note: I'm sooo sorry that I haven't updated in such a long time! My mother is being so mean and she decided to ban me from the computer again when she saw me writing this yesterday. (sniffle) I wanted to ask you guys, do you want me to writ shorter but faster chapters, or longer but slower. Would you also like me to check for grammar mistakes? It takes longer and I don't usually do it because I'm too lazy. **


	6. Wounds Unhealed

**Re-Updated: 26/02/05**

**A/N: Again, nothing much here.**

**Disclaimer: So what if I don't own it? I still deserve credit I say! I mean, sure. I didn't think up the game but I'm still writing aren't I? Shouldn't I get at least a little credit? (insert pitiful face) **

**A/N: I decided to stick with making Garnet black haired and brown eyed. If you ask why, it's because I've been examining pictures of her and I like black hair better than dark brown, no offense to brown haired people out there. Just ignore the descriptions on how she looked like in the first few chapters.  
**  
Dagger hobbled towards her own bedroom, still leaning heavily on her Rod for support and _very_ conscious of the breeze around her bare legs. She limped slowly on the red velvet carpet, one of her legs was still rather weak and the huge magic weights that were there didn't help matters. When she had been on the training ground, with energy electrifying every cell in her body -was it somewhat like a trance?- it hadn't really bothered her. She shivered slightly, remembering the delicious feeling of power steal over her as she rushed towards the huge hoard of monsters and... barely got out alive...

_How did I even get out alive?_ She wondered with a frown. The last things she remembered was an enormous searing pain that ripped through every inch of her skin and within her body and soul. Razor sharp teeth biting her tender flesh and claws ripping her muscles apart, her own Rod a blur as she swung it blindly over and over again.

As the blade of her weapon made the air sing a song of Death, she had thought hazily, knew even, that that may very well have been the end of her. Blood flowed from her wounds, everything began to fade, become distant and blurred... darkening... darkening...

A light in the darkness she saw, though she had been unconscious then, she could still tears well up in her eyes. Zidane and- and Vivi. That was who the light reminded her of. Although she remembered Zidane comforting smile and constant reassurances that everything would be fine, her memory of him was becoming blurred and faded to her dismay. But, it was still the little 'Black' Mage who shone as the darkness of her own mind threatened to consume her and render her speechless like before. Those images were still fresh and painfully clear to her. She focused on the light that she saw in her mind's eye, she thought she saw an angel's wing... or no... was that a spire..?

"Dagger?" a hoarse voice snapped her out of her train of thought.

Her head jerked up and she saw Garland looking at her with a worried expression on his wrinkled face. She realized that she must have been thinking so hard that she had just sat down in the middle of the hallway. She stood up quickly and began brushing imaginary dust of her already spotless clothes.

Garland was staring at her with a queer look in his eyes; she glanced down quickly to make sure that her skirt wasn't revealing anything that it shouldn't. Amazingly, it was still in place.

"You're the exact opposite of Kuja," he answered finally after several tense moments of silence. "He was gleaming white on the surface, but his heart's black core knew no bounds. You, my student, have a shining soul and the darkest material upon your delicate form." He reached out and brushed away a few strands of her raven hair which had fallen across her face.

"Cut the crap, Garland," Dagger managed at last. "I want to know why -in the name of Alexander- did you turn me into Kuja the 2nd, only blacker?"

Something she said seemed to make Garland stiffen, but it was gone almost before she could catch it, "For your information, my extremely ignorant apprentice, those clothes are designed to be slick and will accumulate no dirt nor dust on its surface-"

"Not that there's much of a surface to accumulate on," she pointed out snappily, folding her hands over her bare stomach.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," he continued with an icy glare. "It's flexible, easy to move in and very suitable for battle."

"Whatever," grumbled Dagger, not feeling too chatty after being beaten to a pulp. Suddenly, a frown found its way to her fair face and she glanced at Garland. "You said battle. How did I-"

She stopped talking as she saw him staring at her like an eagle, eyes never leaving her. His face was troubled, but he finally beckoned her to follow him.

……

"Let me start from the beginning," began Garland, watching the young lady before him stretch out her body on the red plush couch. "Firstly, you have been asleep for three days."

"Three DAYS!" repeated Dagger shrilly, casting her weapon aside and getting on her feet. "How long do I have left before the play? How's my kingdom? Are Steiner and Beatrix managing it well? Are-"

"Calm down," said Garland firmly, motioning her to get back in her seat. He noted the stiffness in her walk and the way the muscles of her face twitched every time she moved, and knew that it would not be wise if she strained herself right now. "Your kingdom is in no apparent danger, it is now daytime in Alexandria. You, on the other hand, need rest."

Dagger slumped back on the couch and moaned, "My muscles hurt."

"I dub it unlikely that you would be jumping around after sleeping for three days and three nights straight," said Garland dryly. "Particularly after nearly being murdered by over a hundred beasts in addition to the magical weights that are attached to your body."

"Speaking of which, can you take them off? I mean, you said that I was going to study magic now, surely I don't need them," pleaded Dagger, unable to stand the thought of having to go any longer with difficulty to even move. Abruptly, her expression changed from sad puppy dog face to suspicion. "Wait, where did you say all the monsters went?"

"I don't think that you should go into the field of magic so soon. Right now, you are under my training, you will follow my schedule and what I say," said Garland, looking at her calmly, as though she were some sort of fascinating bug inside a jar. "You have only been here for several months. That play of yours isn't for until the waning of the fawn moon, plenty of time for physical training."

"Garland. Monsters," growled Dagger through gritted teeth, tired of having to repeat herself over and over again.

"I managed to control them and send them back," he replied, with a stony mask.

"You're lying," she countered angrily. "I can sense very few beasts left near the training ground. If you had managed to get them back, I would be able to feel their aura," she looked at him, hoping that she was right. She could sort of sense the creatures when she focused on a certain place, a trait of hers that had always been a mystery to Doctor Tot when she was young. Still, the replies to her magic were very vague. She was depending mostly on her instinct... and the tiny part of what she remembered.

"You can sense their auras?" asked Garland sharply, turning to face her. When she simply gave no reply he simply sighed. "Alright, let's see how you find this version of the story," he said briskly, not at all like someone who had just been caught in a lie. "The monsters knocked you out. I tried to call them back into their cage, but my control system was overheated and malfunctioning. As they swarmed around you and went for the final blow, your miserable remains of body suddenly rose above the frenzied lot."

He stopped, his ice-blue eyes stared off into some dark corner of the room.

"And?" Dagger prompted, wanting to know more.

"You glowed," he whispered almost inaudibly, as if he were talking to himself. "You glowed all the colors of the rainbow and more!" his voice was rising now, getting steadily louder and his eyes widened in excitement. "It almost seemed as though you were in a trance, but- but it simply wasn't possible!"

He leapt to his feet and paced around Dagger, circling her like a bird of prey. "Don't you see? You were unconscious! Yet you glowed! And it wasn't even you own trance, your own is gold! No... someone else helped you. Someone else lent you power," he hissed, leaning so close to her that she cringed.

"Who?" she choked out at last, trying to keep the quaver from her voice.

That made Garland stop his pacing. He gave her a penetrating stare, "I don't know."

"Yes, you do," said Dagger, standing up and wincing, Garland just continued to stare at her. "Or at least, you have a suspicion."

"It is something I need to study further. It will be of much use in the near future," he answered finally. "You should get your rest while you can. Your training will begin at dawn." Without another glance, he turned and walked away.

"How the hell am I supposed to know when it's dawn?" she yelled furiously, not caring about her language as she gestured angrily towards the dim lights and the unforgiving stone that surrounded her. She got no reply except for the echoes of her question, seeming to tease her as they rang out in the empty room.

……

For a week or more, Dagger was trained to accustom herself with the Reaper's Rod against live enemies. This time, Garland was very careful with her training schedule, not wanting to have her sacrificed merely because of a few moments of anger. One day, it was a group of Ash, the next, a bunch of Cactuar, so on and so forth.

He was very precise with the kind and number of creature that was sent as a challenge. He was thrilled with Dagger's progress, her strength and stamina was rapidly increasing. During the day, (or at least what seemed like day.) she would be trained from dawn to dusk with sufficient food and rest. At night, she would be taught battle tactics, special moves and the weakness and specialties of different creatures.

For Dagger, each day was a new challenge, and each time, she succeeded. She was slowly growing used to the weights attached to herself. After some time, she didn't even notice that they were there. She also found Garland's claims about her clothes true, they were very easy to fight in, though very revealing, she was growing fond of them.

On a day that dawned like the rest, even though you couldn't really tell whether it was day or night in Garland's forever-dark lair, she got up as usual. When she was done changing, she went off for breakfast.

Garland's idea of breakfast wasn't the sitting down at the table and munching on toast kind. He wanted to make sure that Dagger could survive in the wilderness if she were stranded with no food or water. She had gone hunting all around the continent. Like the planes of Lindblum, dark fields of Treno, Alexandria platue, the Evil Forest and more. Each time, she was supposed to examine various plants and edible roots, and eat them. She still remembered the time she had walked headlong into a bush of poison ivy, or the time when she had accidentally eaten a poisonous mushroom in Alexandria's land. She hadn't forgotten the reprimanding she had received from Garland for not even knowing the territory around her own kingdom.

Dagger walked briskly towards the room a few hallways from her own. When she opened finished tapping the code in a panel at the side and opened the brass door, she nearly choked as a strong wind fought to push her back out. She struggled through and slammed the door shut, glancing around her. It appeared that Garland had programmed his numerous systems to take her away from the Mist continent this time. She squinted in the harsh wind, shielding her eyes from the swirling sand as she tried to figure out where she was.

At last she caught side of a strangely shaped building, seeing the canyon walls rising steeply before her and the golden light that bathed the entire setting, she put two and two together and concluded that she was in Oeilvert. She hurried to a spot that showed signs of life, she only had half an hour before Garland teleported her back, regardless of whether she had found anything to eat or not.

"WAAAHHHH!" she screeched suddenly as she was yanked of her feet none too gently and sucked into a portal that had suddenly opened above her.

THUMP.

Dagger landed headfirst on the cold hard stone. Ignoring the pain in her head, she held her Rod before her, prepared to spring at the slightest movement.

"Dagger."

"EEK!" she screamed, viciously swiping the direction the voice had come from.

Garland barely leapt out of the way, "Calm down, you foolish girl!" he snarled, narrowing his eyes angrily. "You're back home!"

"Huh?" Dagger straightened from her defensive crouch. He was right; she was just outside the Teleportation room. "Garland, I was barely in that continent for 5 minutes! I wasn't done yet!"

"Come," he said, leading her down yet another hallway.

She followed with a puzzled expression. Despite the fact that she wanted to protest for having to follow him like a little dog and given no reason or explanation, she had learned some time ago that argument was quieted by rather -painful- measures. They entered the dining hall here she always ate lunch and dinner. On the mahogany table were delicacies and foods of every kind, her eyes widened as she examined the rows and rows of cakes and goodies. "Garland? I always hunt for breakfast remember?" she asked, still astonished. This was a far cry from the harsh meals and food that she was used to having, all with the purpose of strengthening her body.

"Eat," he said simply, gesturing for her to sit. He waited until she was stuffing herself before continuing. "Today, I want you to be fully prepared for the challenge I have for you," he paused when Dagger looked up, fear and apprehension clearly mirrored in her dark eyes.

"This past month, you have improved with a speed that I find astonishing," he looked at her with unmistakable pride. "You have taken on my every task and succeeded, excluding a few minor mistakes..." he frowned, remembering the time when she had fought a few Ring Leader's and had tripped, fallen flat on her face and nearly skewered herself. "Today, I test not your strength or bravery, but your will and mind. This may be your hardest challenge yet. Prepare yourself and don't disappoint me."

Dagger put down the scone she had been eating and watched him leave, playing nervously with a muffin. She found that she had no appetite left to speak off. What could possibly make Garland this worried for me? she wondered. He didn't even act like this before when I fought that Yan and almost got snorted all the way to Chocobo Paradise, she reminded herself with a shudder. It took me a week to learn to avoid their Snort attack and dodge all their elemental attacks... She continued thinking letting her thoughts wander.

……

Dagger walked towards the training ground, fingering her Rod's smooth surface lightly. She had left the breakfast table after managing to choke down a slice of toast and had stared dumbly at the wall for several moments, thinking. She had thought of Garland's words that week or so before... not my own trance, she had mused, wondering what he meant. Maybe Vivi had lent her power! The thought struck her suddenly.

Vivi. The very thought of his name still brought a searing pain to her heart. Where were the small gloved hands that used to hold her when she wanted to cry from frustration and loneliness, but knew that she had to hold back her tears, for she wasn't even allowed to cry? Where were the comforting words that had soothed her dilapidated soul... especially at Zidane's funeral? She held back a sob as tears began to mist her eyes.

There would never be any more Black Mages. Eventually, the Mages of Black Mage Village would stop... Vivi's own children would stop! She felt like slicing something apart at the very thought of that. She had never been close to them... everything they did or said reminded her of her beloved companion. The way they straightened their large hats nervously when talking, their stuttering and the shy way they spoke to people.

She had never wanted to get to know them and love them. In fact, she refused to. She refused to look at their bobbing hats and glowing lamplight eyes. Refused to listen to their soft voices, with higher tones that differed from their father's, but the way they spoke ... was exactly the same, which was even more painful. She remembered the many times when they had wanted to see her, but she had given hurried excuses that she was tired, she was too busy and so on.

Unknowingly, she had closed her heart and shut her soul in an impenetrable fortress with walls, spikes and barbed wire covering every inch of it. She had unconsciously sworn never to care for anyone again, her original companions didn't matter, it was too late to change the fact that she loved them. Even so, she had been drawing away from them since their journey, hiding inside the shadow of her heart that she believed to provide her protection, solitude and comfort which she had lost time and time again.

Everything that she had cared for was being pushed out... Slowly, but surely... Nothing was allowed in. For, she knew that she would only be hurt when they passed away. Garland's training had kept her body so busy and her mind so occupied that it was almost easy not to worry about the kingdom and her friends, to forget them.

A tiny sound brought her wandering mind back to earth with a crash. She realized that she had been spacing out. Badly. Like she had been doing many times since she arrived here. She made the rest of the way to the grounds slowly, taking cautious steps, afraid that Garland might have sent this great challenge to spring at her out of the dark corners and crevices.

Dagger made it to the field without any unexpected creature jumping out at her. As she neared the dome that she always fought in, Garland was waiting patiently for her at the entrance.

"Go in," he said, eyeing her seriously. "Go, but be prepared. Be ready, never get used to an ordinary routine. Expect the unexpected."

His words sent a chill down her spine and heightened a fear a notch or two up. She wanted to say something, to ask what was in there... But found her throat stuck from fear. Instead, she nodded, gripping her Rod tightly, she entered the dome.

The moment Dagger entered, she felt her heart leap to her throat. The sunny field of lush grass that she was used to was gone! In place of the sunlight and plants was a very dim light and rough stone floors and walls. She had no idea how this happened, but she assumed that Garlands machine could change the image of the room. So that's what Garland meant by never getting used to an ordinary routine, reflected Dagger, taking a few small steps into the darker part of the cave-like area.

Suddenly, she heard a strange grating noise, like stone rubbing against stone, or bone grinding together, that made her whirl into her battle stance. The slight rumbling continued, slowly... Oh ever so slowly... a block like thing with carvings in the front came into view.

An Epitaph! Thought Dagger incredulously, watching the stone figure struggling to approach her. This is what Garland believes to be a challenge to me? This thing?

She let out a harsh laugh and snorted divisively as she flipped towards it easily, slashing at it and causing it to fall dead on the ground immediately. She wanted to scream with laughter_. I've fought Yan. I've fought the toughest creatures there are! And Garland thinks that there's even the tiniest chance I can lose? _

She felt like yelling at him to tell him that he had underestimated her terribly. Unfortunately, her past experiences of gloating had resulted with pain. So, she kept her mouth shut. She heard more grinding noises and grinned to herself, thinking that a few more would be no trouble at all.

She stepped forward calmly, like quicksilver, sliding towards the Epitaph that had just appeared at the corner of her eye. Abruptly, as she neared it, a flash of light caused her to throw up her arm to shield her eyes when it opened its doors. Right in front of her stood the Captain of the Knights of Pluto, Adalbert Steiner.

"I am Steiner," he rumbled, his deep voice commanding and confident.

She gaped. Her mind working furiously, trying to remind her of something. But her brain had turned to sludge and his unexpected appearance had shocked her. What is he doing here? _Oh lord, what's he going to do when he finds out that I've been training under Garland?  
_  
As she was still thinking this over, Steiner charged and attacked, slashing her arm. The wound wasn't deep, but she was amazed. How dare Steiner, the most loyal of her knights, the most dedicated, almost to the point of annoyance, actually attack the one he had sworn to protect? She was unwilling to strike back, believing it to be merely an accident. Finally, something in her mind clicked and she recalled that Epitaphs could generate images of people whom their victims cared for. She felt her stomach twist in to a big hard not for no particular reason, so she paid it no heed.

She smiled in relief, trying to assure herself. She charged towards the stone block, killing it first and dodging the look alike Steiner's blow at her head. She crouched to the ground and swung out her legs, catching him on the ankles so that he fell with a crash. She could even hear the rust on his armor scraping against the rough ground. She closed her eyes as she drove the sharp end of her Rod home, chanting in her mind, "That isn't Steiner. That -isn't - Steiner."

She jumped back, averting her eyes as was unwilling to look at the steadily fading corpse. A good thing she did, or she wouldn't have caught sight of a flash of purplish blue hair.

"I'm Eiko!" came the child's high-pitched squeal. The exact replica of the young summoner hopped from one foot to the other before rushing at her with her flute raised.

Dagger ducked, avoiding the hit while deflecting another before finishing the image off. She searched frantically, where was the source? Something at the back of her mind, some primitive instinct, was nagging her, telling her that something was definitely up. Telling her to watch out.

She slashed an Epitaph that she had just spotted. But there was another, and a second, and a third, and a... She was eyeing her surroundings, twisting her head as she tried to count how many there were, when she suddenly heard a voice that made her heart stop and her blood turn to slush.

"I'm Zidane."

She made small sounds of astonishment, her large brown eyes grew wider and wider, watching the blonde boy that she had thought about almost constantly for the past year and more.

Zidane attacked her, she didn't make any move to block or avoid, instead she just stood there dumbly. Watching the blood seep out of the wound he had inflicted upon her hip. It wasn't deep, and it didn't hurt though it should have, mostly because her mind was frozen. Her brain was having an argument with her heart. Her heart was jumping and thudding, telling her, "He's back! He's come back for me!"

Her brain on the other hand was busy giving her the painful realism of the Gaia by telling her, "He's just an image! He hit you! Survive this test and kill him! This is exactly what Garland knew will happen and you will -not- lose because of your constant bawling over a dead person!"

She began to walk to him stiffly, not caring about killing the Epitaph first. She just closed her eyes, tears running in steady streams down her cheeks and stabbed him. She could hear the heavy thud as his body fell to the ground, opening her eyes at last, she saw his bluish-green orbs staring lifelessly yet accusingly at her.

"Why did you do that Dagger?" said the same voice that she had longed for day and night. She turned, startled. There was yet another picture perfect imitation of Zidane, coming towards her and trying to hit her. This time, she barely managed to duck his swift blow, her rage and fury mixed with disbelief was building up steadily within her. Without warning, she allowed her emotions to explode.

"NO! Nonononono!" she screamed loudly, charging forward, chest heaving. "You are -NOT- Zidane! You're not him! NOT HIM!"

She attacked, her anger causing her to deliver a max damage blow. She blinked as more and more images appeared before her. Each and every single one of them playing an important part in her life.

"I am Beatrix!" yelled the voice that greeted her every morning.

"I Quina," said the Quan as s/he waddled up to her.

"My little canary..." whispered someone right next to her, she could feel the hot breath on her cheek. "Why did you kill my brother, Canary? Do you not care for-"

The voice was cut off as she slashed him like a wild reckless animal, caught up with her whirlwind of emotions. She felt no regret as the silver haired man fell to the ground. Still, her troubles were far from over.

"I'm Amarant," hissed someone with a voice of cold steel.

All these people kept on multiplying. There had to be numerous Epitaphs in there, each generating a beloved figure of hers. She tried to concentrate on finding her enemies that blended in perfectly with the gray surroundings. Her body was a blur of motion as she leapt and attacked. She felt exactly like so in her first battle against all those beasts, but now, it was a hundred times worse. To have to kill... And kill those people over and over again...

She tried to concentrate on killing the source of all the imitations first... but it was so hard to see the people that she loved and cared for trying to skewer her with various weapons. Her mind was reeling and her vision blurring, however, her body remained strong and lethal.

Her tears mingled with her sweat and blood freely now. Her wounds were many, but shallow. She forced herself to look as she killed Zidane again... and again... and again... There came Freya, sneaking up behind her with her spear raised. She spun her Rod without a thought, causing the length of it to bash into the Burmecian Knight's head. She could hear the disgusting sound of bones cracking under her Rod. The smell of blood was everywhere, the imitations before her were talking to her, distracting her from her true goal.

She saw lights when Quina punched her on the cheek. She could taste the blood in her mouth, her brain wouldn't function properly. The only thing it told her was, 'Garland didn't underestimate you, he overestimated you! You can't do this. You'll never survive! You cold-blooded murderer, you're killing your friends without a second thought!'

The voice was causing her head to hurt, in addition to the spinning room before her, other voices rang out.

"Dagger, why are you doing this? Don't you like us?"

"This is no way to treat a lady! Aren't I like a sister to you?"

"Queens should not act like this! I have never seen such disgraceful actions!"

"You aren't even our -real- queen. You're just a homeless little orphan belonging to a tribe that's been blasted to smithereens years ago! You're a worthless piece of filth!"

"You've only caused everyone pain! It would be so much better if you didn't even exist!"

She was already close to fainting, she couldn't help it. She was forced to destroy the people she loved, watch the die and cover her Rod and hands with their blood. Her clothes were already stained with her own life-giving liquid and others, the ground was slick and slippery, a violent shade of red. She wasn't thinking anymore, it seemed that her mind had detached itself from her body. She was watching her own figure that was swathed in black dancing the most horrendous dance with her victims, her weapon was a beautiful prop that was handled with ease as she twisted and turned, killing everything in her path.

Finally, she skewered the last of the imitations, one who resembled a blonde genome who still possessed a large piece of her heart. She watched as he fell to the ground with a reverberating thud. His closing eyes focused on Dagger's weary face and he struggled to speak.

"I lo- I- love..." Before life left his body and his head lolled back.

Dagger finally collapsed on the ground, falling on her knees and covering her ears with her hands while squeezing her eyes shut.

"You're not Zidane. You're not real. You're not- not," she choked and ended her sentence with a sob. After what seemed like forever, she finally opened her eyes and scanned the area. It was over. She had killed every living being in the dome, their carcasses' were littered on the ground. She gave another loud sob, not bothering to hide her feelings any longer, she threw herself on the Genome's imitation body that was next to her.

"I never knew. You never knew. I did and I still do..." she muttered incoherently, almost deliriously, her body kept shaking violently, her head buried in his chest. "To others, you're dead, but I still believe you'll come back. You'll live forever in my heart... I lo-"

She stopped abruptly at hearing a small voice. A voice that made her snap her head to its direction immediately. A familiar floppy brown hat bobbed towards her, golden eyes peered at her from a dark shadow that was supposed to be the creature's face. The dusty, blue coated figure approached her, accidentally tripping over its own feet before getting up and brushing itself off.

"I'm Vivi."

"Vivi..." she gasped, raising her Rod, eyes widening to their maximum extent, "Vivi... no... Vivi..."

"Why are y-you crying, Dagger?" asked the little mage that she remembered so well. She raised her Rod to kill it. He shuffled closer and closer to her. Her muscles tensed up and she gazed into those glowing eyes, so trusting, so innocent, she got ready to... to...

"VIVI!" she screamed at last, instead of attacking him like she was meant to, she cast her Rod aside and flung herself on him, bringing him into a tight embrace. "Vivi! Oh, Vivi! You left us, yo-"

She said no more, when he, with surprising strength, knocked her unconscious by swinging the blunt end of his staff to her head.

……

Garland examined the abused, naked figure before him with an unreadable expression on his face. He watched as she was cleaned gently by caring hands, her wounds wiped clean and ointment spread over her bruises. For the first time in many years, he wasn't sure what to do. In his opinion, she had failed and passed at the same time. His face lit up as he permitted a sly smile to cross his lips. She was ready for the second stage which would start as soon as possible. His eyes met another's and he nodded, signaling his approval. Time for her _real_ training to start.

**Author's Note: Everyone! I am so sorry! I wanted to update about a month ago when my parents were out of town but couldn't because the decided not to go out! Then, the next week, I managed to type out most of it, just as I was about to finish, I was locked out of the computer by my brother. Ever since then, we've been wrestling for control. Finally I can update, sheesh, you know how much work I have to go through just to got -on- the computer? YAY! Harry Potter book came out! My mom won't let me read mine till I start studying 24/7, like I actually listen. Hah, she didn't think that my friends who have it would let me read theirs? Poor Sirius! How could Rowling kill him? WAAAAAHHHHH!**


	7. A Voice From The Past

**Re-Updated: 26/02/05**

**Disclaimer: It's mine! All mine! I absolutely refuse to say that it wasn't! I worked and sweated over these miserable chapters! I mean, what's the worst that could happen? (Cliché attack, large safe falls on author's head; result is a strange gooey puddle on floor.)**

…**: Signifies memories within dreams.  
**  
**A/N: Before I start, I figure that I might as well tell you guys what's going on again. Dagger was fighting a bunch of Epitaphs that kept on imitating her best friends until she lost. Currently, she's unconscious.  
**  
_The little girl gasped as a breath-takingly cold spray of seawater attacked her face. She screamed when the boat rocked violently, causing her to slam into her mother's waiting arms. The situation had been similar for many long and endless days. The boat would jolt in the unmerciful sea, she would fall, most likely achieving fractures and bruises by now, if it weren't for the fact that each time, her mother would be there, catching her and protecting her, even when no protection was possible. She tried to hold back a sob as she clutched her thin cloak and gazed into her mother's beautiful face, which showed the same fear and apprehension as her own. _

_"Mommy," she sniffled, holding hugging her mother tightly. "Will we live? I don't wanna die!" _

_She looked up, hoping for some sign of reassurance from her mother's warm brown eyes, to her surprise, she thought she saw tears running down her fair cheeks, though she wasn't sure as it was mingling with the rain. The little girl's mother shook her head and didn't answer, trying to keep the boat in the right direction, towards the nearest continent. _

_The little girl shook her dark hair out of her eyes and risked a peek over the side of the boat. Nothing had changed. The waves were still swirling and crashing upon them, trying to crush their fragile bodies, the wind howled with untold fury, egging on the other elements, its only goal seem to be to cause them further misery. Above them, the sky was a mass of steely gray; its clouds had yet to be parted, refusing to let the sun make even a faint impression upon the world. She shivered, of a thought this time than of cold, she remembered the legend that the village elders once told. _

"When the summoners of this fair land depart," she remembered an old man saying, a Seer many believed him to be, he went by the name of Jair Carol, "the sky, wind, water and sun will rage and mourn. Many a bad day will the survivors encounter."

His words were met with snickers and disbelieving glances from his audience, he predicted a lot of strange things before, but this had to be one of the most absurd. The smallest child with fair skin and dark hair and eyes didn't think so, she had a great respect for him, she merely gasped and inched closer to him and the campfire, wrapping her arms around her legs. She gazed up at him wonderingly. He looked down at her briefly and gave her a small quavery smile before resuming his prediction.

"The balance of the world will be upset, chaos will reign in years to come and the circle of souls will swell to a rate that we have yet to imagine. This will be the beginning of the end and the end of the beginning, our tribe may perish, though few may live, regretful they're lives shall be," he glanced around, his tone darkening and he suddenly reached into his pouch. "Don't believe me, do you?" he said sadly and despairingly, yet rather calmly, "I have the curse and gift, to see beyond the mundane, now, I bestow both to all of you who gather here, look into the fire I say! Look!"

The girl drew in her breath expectantly and fearfully at the same time, staring at the flickering orange flames before her. Meanwhile, Jair was gesturing grandiosely, in one hand, he gripped a fistful of sparkly black powder dotted with silver, with a wave of his arm; he threw it into the fire. There was a slight poof of strange smelling smoke, reminding the girl of burnt socks, other than that, nothing happened. The audience continued waiting with bated breath; still the object of their attention remained the same. Already, the child could here a few villagers snickering and nudging each other, obviously making fun of the Seer.

Strangely, she got onto her hands and knees and crawled forward slightly, staring intensely into the flames. She caught her breath as she saw it, twisted dark shadows howling and moaning in pain, diving in and out of her sight, all of them being blasted by strokes of lightning from the sky it was a storm like nothing that she had seen before, huge beams of light tore their bodies apart, buildings crumbled and was reduced to mere piles of rubble within seconds. For a long while, the beautiful land of Madain Sari lay, rotting and gathering dust, till at last, two figures emerged out of the wreckage, a mere babe and an old stooped man. The man died, and the young child, no more than five, was left alone. Little strange creatures with pompons on their heads began to gather there, making the place their home and caring for the child. At last, a blue aura emerged, the child and another from a far off land joined, becoming a bright burst of light.

At this, she stumbled back in shock, still blinking from the light she saw. She glanced up at the Seer and he gave her another knowing smile. "You saw it?" he asked kindly, watching her nod slowly and solemnly. "I knew not, that in this audience gathered before me, that only a mere six year old child would be able to understand and see what I try to show," he looked towards everyone who all seemed to be confused. "You cannot '_see'_ m' dear, but your mind is clearer than most, no... only I, and I alone have been cursed and blessed with the Sight..."

"YO! Gramps, what the heck are you talking about?" asked a burly teenager rudely, Flick was his name, and it was a well known fact that he had very little patience for anything that he couldn't deal with his fists. "You call us all here for some big meeting, and you end up blabbering about nothing that you claim none of us can see except for this ... this kid!" he gestured at her roughly.

"Sorry you had to see that, at such a tender age," he apologized, looking truly regretful. "I believe it to be our fate, and yet, fates can be changed. You are special, child," his dark eyes bored into her piercingly, as though he were reading her very soul. "You will make a difference, you _are _different. Unlike certain others I could mention," he changed his tone from soft and coaxing to slightly harsher. "Whose minds seem to be far more mundane. As we know, the tin with the least rocks, make the most noise."

Flick opened and closed his mouth in anger while a light ripple of laughter ran through the crowd, he bent down towards her in the pretense of picking up his walking stick. "It will happen soon, child. You're destined to be great, but I fear, for the wrong causes. Whatever may happen, remember_-you - are - not- weak!"  
_  
And then, he was gone.

_To that day, she still had no idea what the old man talking about, but he was right, she admitted with a shiver, the balance of magic was upset, the elements raged and mourned, and the survivors suffered. She sank back into the boat and curled into a tight ball, she was so hungry, but she knew that her mother had to be hungrier. _

_They had traveled in the rickety old boat for almost five days, and had only the barest scraps of food in their trunk. It was by sheer luck that they were not in the village when the storm came; they had gone sailing, under the urging and encouragement of the village Seer. Her mother had refused to eat a single morsel of their rations, keeping it all for her daughter. _

_The little girl moved cautiously over to her mother and held her cold stiff fingers in her little freezing numb hands. She screamed suddenly, but her voice was lost in the wind. She had seen huge and painfully hard rocks looming before them, it would take only one strong wave to push them in that direction, and that would be their end. Despite the fact that she was only six years old, she was amazingly mature in mind. She could picture the way the rocks' ragged edges would tear into their tender flesh, and how their bones would shatter as they were flung mercilessly against the stone again and again. _

_She forcefully broke off her train of thought and moved closer to her mother who was chanting as loudly as she could. _

_"My lord, Leviathan!_

_God of thy waters and sea, _

_Yee who quenches thy land._

_I pray for thee to extend a helping hand. _

_Sail thy boat so far and wide, _

_Avoid those waters of which rocks collide! _

_Save thy daughter, hear thy plea! _

_Bring ye serpentine strength, _

_I beg of thee!" _

_The girl could feel her mother's already fading strength wan away, for she had had to contribute power to keep the God under her control and in this world. She pursed her lips tightly and squeezed her eyes shut, concentrating as she had never concentrated before. Her mother glanced at her, blinking in surprise, but she smiled for the first time in days. Both their horns shone brightly in the dim grey light, and the mighty God, Leviathan, rose from the sea with a fearful, thundering roar. _

_With a simple twist of his body and a flick of his tail, the boat was thrown over the rocks and sped along the vicious waves. Beside the child, her mother collapsed, but she continued straining and fighting to keep Leviathan on Gaia. They continued miraculously dodging danger, at the side of their boat, she could catch sight of flashes of silver blue, the powerful sea serpent speeding them along so fast that small pieces of the boat was being blown away. _

_Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, when she could see a faint dark shape in the distance, which she guessed was one of the continents, did she break off the summons and allow herself to slump gratefully beside her mother. Breathing hard, she glanced at the figure beside her; lightning illuminated the body for a second and her eyes widened as they took in the sight before them. Her mother seemed to be barely alive; her skin was completely white, except for the slight tinges of grey. She knelt hurriedly and took her hand, trying to feel a pulse. At her daughter's touch, the lady opened her eyes wearily and her lips twitched. _

_"Sarah," she murmured, her once melodious voice was hoarse and slightly cracked, "I'm not..." _

_Abruptly, the boat rocked dangerously. Sarah was thrown to one side, but her mother used her own body as a shield, when they both slammed against the side, she took the brunt of the blow. A small trickle of blood came out of her mouth, passing her cracked pale lips. _

_"Sarah," she gasped again, "I want you to know that your father... your father's leaving, it wasn't your fault." She lifted a hand to stem her daughter's protests. "I love you, and even if I die, you must continue, I ask you of one last thing," she looked imploringly into her child's eyes. "Don't hate me for what I must do now." _

_Suddenly, she stood up weakly, gripping the side of the boat in an effort to keep on her feet. _

_"O thy eidolons on the elements, _

_As one summoner fades from the earth, _

_Another must live to keep the balance, _

_As leader of thy lost clan, _

_I bestow upon my daughter, my successor, _

_The power to control all the gods _

_Of the legendary summoners who will be lost, _

_My spirit, my power, will be the first, _

_My protection will forever linger in her blood, _

_And in turn, her children._

_Fulfill thy last wish, may she not come to harm. _

_In return, I offer thy soul. _

_Now! The transfer will begin!" _

_Sarah was as still as a statue from shock. Her mother had floated a foot or so above the boat and was glowing like and angel, all around them, the sea and sky seemed to have frozen, except for occasional flashes of lightning. Slowly, and rather imperiously, her mother raised her had and pointed at her. Jets of white rays fired themselves from her finger, but instead of blasting her apart, she absorbed the power. _

_She screamed and shrieked like a wild animal, the pain was nearly unbearable as the floating woman continued to channel power to her. While she struggled and writhed, she could see all her mother's summons rearing up terrifyingly before her, ice goddess, Shiva, entrapped in a fortress of ice, Bahamut, raging in it's own power, Leviathan, shooting up from a tremendous whirlpool, many others followed, swirling in her head until she just wished that she could die. Death is nothing compared to this, she thought desperately, let me die! Please, just let me die! _

_Before she knew it, it was over. Her knees bucked, and she landed heavily on the deck, somewhere near her, she heard her mother fall as well. Blearily, she opened her eyes and saw her mother move for the last time, unable to speak and too weak to use her voice, she mouthed the words, "Safe journey and... goodbye..." _

…

_"What's that thing?" Came a hoarse gruff voice, sounding amazed. _

_"Is it dead?" came another. _

_"You!_ _Get out of my way!" said a woman; her tone indicated that she was used to being obeyed. _

_The voices were ringing in Sarah's head, making it throb and ache. She was only semi-conscious and her mind was feeling rather fuzzy. She tried to open her eyes, but when she did so, the sun's piercing light made her eyes water and increased her pain. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her mother, and she refused to let go. She managed to focus her eyes on the person in front of her. It was a beautiful young woman with toffee colored hair. _

_"O good Alexander!" she shrieked, cupping the girl's face softly. _

_"General Beatrix! What seems to be the problem?" asked someone else who had a deep and commanding tone. _

_"My king," murmured the woman gently hoisting Sarah on her lap, her mother, still held on at her side. She shifted so that the soldiers couldn't see what she was holding. "Perhaps the citizens of Alexandria need not know the tragedy that has befallen us this day." _

_"Wait. You actually mean..." he knelt closer until Sarah could see his face. He had a strong chin, straight nose and deep brown eyes; his dark brown hair was receding and had shots of gray along with his moustache. He had a handsomely distinguished look and a manner of supreme authority. _

_"You and you!"_ _He barked suddenly, pointing at the two who were still peering over his shoulder curiously. "Inform Doctor Tot immediately that he is needed here at once! Tell him that I order him not to make the announcement, that there is a better alternative." _

_Breathing rather heavily, he bended again and cradled Sarah in his arms while General Beatrix tried to pry her fingers of her mother's arm. _

_"This is one strong child," she grunted, as she struggled to free Sarah's death grip. "It's her mother, I suppose. Must have died when they were traveling here. Considering the storm that raged the seas for those days, it's amazing that _she _survived." _

_"Good Lord! What's that on her forehead?" exclaimed the man, suddenly, turning her around so that she faced the woman who had finally gotten Sarah to let go. _

_"I don't know, sir," she replied, shifting her mother away from Sarah. "The other one has one just like it. I think it's a horn. They probably came from an unexplored continent, there are many strange tribes out there." _

_"I suppose." muttered the man thoughtfully. "This may be a problem though, no one would believe that she's Garnet with that. I mean, my daughter wouldn't just grow a horn!" _

_With growling apprehension, Sarah looked back and forth while they continued to talk, not really noticing or caring that she understood. She wanted to do something, or run away from these people, she could sense that one of them was about to do something that might possibly harm her. She tried to explain what had happened to her village and her mother, but nothing escaped her lips besides an incoherent gurgle. _

_He glanced at her when she made that sound and frowned. "General," he said. "Kindly hand me your sword, please." _

_"My Lord, what are you attempting...?" _

_"I'm sorry," he said in a soft and kind tone, taking the sword Beatrix had handed to him. "I don't want to cause you pain, but I don't have much of a choice." _

_"Your Highness, no!" screamed the General. _

_Sarah realized the King's intentions a split second before it happened. She yelled and rolled over quickly, the sword missing her by inches. She gasped at the pain the movement caused her, still, she tried to crawl away. Her limbs wouldn't work properly and she was panicking. But, even in her plight, she was beating her weakness. Had she not been so weak, she might have been able to save her mother. Had she been a capable fighter, she could defend herself from these strangers with dark intentions. Had she - _

_The sword came down with a flash and sliced her horn cleanly off, cutting off her scream and thoughts. From then on, she always had a feeling of resentment to her weakness, but she never knew why. _

……

_"Hiyah, Garnet! How's my Princess doing?" asked King Leethan til Alexandros III with an indulgent tone and smile. He picked her up and twirled her around, her shoulder length hair flew out and she giggled happily, chubby arms flailing. _

_"It's my birthday, Daddy! I'm 9 years old! See my pretty dress?" she giggled again and spun clumsily, showing off her new silk frock, made by one of the most skilled tailors in the continent. "Thanks for the gift!" _

_"Only the best for my little girl!" replied her father, ruffling her hair, fondly. "How 'bout this? You come meet me in the field near the lake in a few minutes! I'll have your real gift there." _

_"Oooh!" she squealed, her eyes going as round as saucers at the prospect. _

_She let her father strode around the corner before running after him gleefully. She rounded the corner at top speed, as not to lose sight of her prey and - _

_WHAM. _

_She found herself sitting on the floor and staring at a tall metal figure in front of her. A tall rusting metal figure to be exact. _

_"Princess!' yelled the Captain of the knights of Pluto, Adalbert Steiner. "What are you doing? Running around in your best dress! Your hair is all messed up! Come, we'll get a maid to fix you up and-" _

_Garnet pouted. Steiner certainly wasn't going to listen about gifts. He would make sure that she was neat and tidy like a little lady before he let her go again. She wanted to know what the surprise was and she wanted to know now! _

_"Steiner!" she screeched suddenly, after receiving a burst of inspiration. "Beatrix and her soldiers are... are apprehending someone at the... the entrance who was trying to sneak into the castle! A - a thief! They need help!" _

_"What?" he yelled, straightening and charging down the hall. "I, Captain Steiner shall do my duty and assist them! I serve the royal family and will now gladly…" His voice and loud footsteps faded into the distance. _

_She smiled to herself and skipped towards the gardens. Her fresh young face glowed prettily as she was wreathed in smiles being near her destination, anticipating her gift. But, her happiness was short lived. Suddenly, a loud yell and gasp of pain broke the peace of her child's mind. She froze, realizing that she recognized that voice. She made a mad dash towards its source, searching frantically. And then, she saw a scene that made her heart stop. _

_King Leethan lay on the ground, his proud form bloodied and bruised, his craggy, handsome face torn and riddled with gashes. The only reason that she could identify the man before her was because of the Alexandrian crest. Above him, stood a small cloaked figure, barely larger than she, who was swathed in black. She could not see past the hood covering it's face, all she knew was that it was raising a silver dagger, preparing to plunge it into her father's chest. She screamed desperately, in hopes of drawing the attacker's attention away from her father. She charged at it, screaming at the top of her voice, trying to knock it over. _

_The moment Garnet collided with the attacker, she felt as though she had just run into a brick wall. She bounced back, landing on her behind, whereas it hadn't moved an atom's width, merely staring at her, perhaps stunned by her stupidity. She got up again, shouting at it to leave her father alone, hammering at it with her tiny fists, it stood no taller than her, and yet, she could not make it budge, it was too strong, she was too weak. _

_"Garnet... no... g-go..." her father tried to warn her away weakly. _

_This seemed to bring the startled figure back to its senses. It grabbed the hapless child by the collar and tossed her roughly away, causing her to skid spectacularly. She lay, slumped on the floor, still dizzy from the impact of her fall. Yet, this did not prevent her from watching it bury the weapon into her father's heart, until only the hilt could be seen. At this, the attacker jumped to the nearest pillar, before going, it whirled around, its faceless head staring at her. _

_"Happy Birthday_, Princess_," it spat out the last word with distaste, like poison. Its voice was one of a child, but it was filled with hatred and anger, so dark and dangerous, making Garnet want to curl up into a ball and hug herself. It was so chilling, like the grating of bone being rubbed against bone. She caught sight of a whisk of gold hair and heard the swish of a tail as it made its escape, but she couldn't have cared less. She ran to her father, trying to tug the dagger from his chest, but it was too late. He was in tatters, lying in a pool of his own blood with one arm nearly ripped off. _

_"D-daddy!" she sobbed, screaming like a wild animal. _

_"Garnet... shhh..." the king struggled to speak, coughing an spitting out blood in the process. "Let's ... not think about misery…" he gasped for air, " I don't want m-my...last mo-moments with my… baby to be s-sad ones..." _

_Garnet tried to stop crying, for her father's sake, she held his bloodied hand to her wet cheek. _

_"Now..." he blinked, clearly trying to focus. "How do... you... like y- your...gift?" _

_She stared, then looked around her in surprise. The plain barren patch of land which once stood there was now gone. In its place were beautiful and rare flowers of every kind. There was a gorgeous marble pathway, decorated with the most valuable stones on Gaia, leading down the stairs that was made from the same material. It was all carefully paved over, and carved by talented hands. When she walked down the steps, she could see the lake, calm surface rippling slightly in the breeze, a lovely shade of sapphire, across it was Alexandria castle, its tall gleaming spire shining proudly in the noon sunlight. The whole thing, flower garden in particular, wasn't very big, small, which made it seem far more special and precious to her young mind. _

_Garnet hadn't noticed the drastic change when she first came, blinded by her foolish attempt to save her father. She walked back up the stairs, taking in how lovingly decorated everything was. All the plants were specially picked, leaves shone from tiny ones that were the palest shade of green to some that were twice as large as her hands and almost dark enough to be black. The blossoms were tenderly chosen and looked after, every plant, bush, bud and leaf were arranged, emitting waves of fragrance and ineffable beauty. There were powdery, pale toned, the most violent color by far, was a cheerful shade of yellow. There were no harsh, rough tones, as though her father, giving his daughter only happiness and peace, was erasing all the painful bits of reality from the world. She breathed in deeply, sniffing the sweet scents, recognizing the flowers to be of a special breed that was guaranteed to help traumatized people. _

_Her father coughed weakly, bringing her back to earth, "Daddy," she whispered, her eyes shining with tears and happiness, touched by all the effort her father had put in, "I love it! I-I..." _

_The king smiled shakily, showing several broken and missing teeth. "I hoped that... that you'd like i-it, I've... I've been working... on it... for months." He choked, spitting out blood and using his one good arm to clutch his side, "I planted... it myself, I want you... to... to see it as more than a pretty garden... I want y-you to see it... as a gift... of peace." _

_"Daddy!" she sniffled, crying again and hugging him tightly. "I will! I love it! I love you!" _

_"I - I know that there will... be..." he seemed to get weaker and whither away by the second. "Be hard times ahead of you a-and... this place will help... after all... we buried her here. (he struggled to continue.) I want to tell... You about... about your past..." _

_Garnet continued to cling, but stiffened abruptly, she had a flashback, seeing a glimpse of silver, swooping down on her and a high-pitched scream followed. She blinked and uttered "Huh?" _

_He noticed her reaction, and shook his head quickly, wincing in pain as he did so. "Never mind... R-remember... I love y-you... like my own daughter... I'm sorry... F-for what I ...did last time. G-goodbye... And happy birthday..." _

_His head lolled back, life leaving his body, turning it into an empty shell, a mere vessel. "DAD! DADDY! NO! NOOOO!" Garnet shrieked, realizing what was happening. "Please! Please, Daddy! Don't leave me! I need you!" she continued, howling madly while grasping him tightly, refusing to let go. _

_Later, the guards would come, trying to tear away the hysterical child from her father, followed by her heart-broken mother. Days later, after constant insistence from the princess, the new garden became her father's new home, and also her hidey-hole. Her father had meant it to be a tranquil spot for her, and she could find nothing more helpful for her anguished soul than her late father's presence. She would sit there for hours at a time, talking calmly to his grave, telling him about her life or tending to the greenery around her. _

_Only months later, when the calm came after the storm, did she wonder about her father's last words to her. _

……

_The 16-year-old girl ran, her dark hair streaming after her. Fear was ripping through her youthful heart, somehow knowing that something terrible was about to happen. Behind her, she could hear a blonde boy's shouts, asking her to wait up, the sound of heavy breathing reached her ears, followed by an 'oof' as the black mage fell, but the boy was still hot on her trail. _

_She continued her desperate race; the wind whipping her locks wildly, blowing the tall grass. A short distance away, she could make out flashes of light, the smell of smoke and gunpowder from cannons clogged up her senses, the unnaturally dark sky seemed to loom over her threateningly. In her heart, she had guessed what was happening, but she refused to believe it, refused to do so until she saw everything with her own eyes. An icy fist gripped her soul as she recognized the crest on one of the ships, she had seen it everyday, it was her kingdom's symbol after all. Dangerous cannon balls, some of them even living creatures that burned brightly were being shot at her Uncle's castle. _

_"Dagger!" the boy behind her tried again. "Dagger! Wait up!" _

_She continued to ignore him. Already she could hear faint screams of fear and the wailing of children. Far away, at one of Lindblum's grand turrets, wood and glass splintered and several uniformed clad figures that were on fire fell out, those that were still alive died seconds later from the impact of their fall. Their deaths passed unnoticed in the midst of fury, of havoc, only the young lady saw them. She ran even faster, tucking away her newly acquired Peridot into her pocket. She saw fire spurting out of another window, more bodies fell out, one that was on fire, the other spewing fire. _

_"Mother!" she hissed, running out of breath, "Mother, how could you?" _

_She stopped suddenly, the hollow part of her, the vast empty space in her being that had existed ever since she lost her eidolons stirred. The boy jogged up to her, surprised that she had halted. Sure enough, her instinct was right. A jagged beam of light shot from the heavens hitting the ground, causing a blinding explosion. When the swirling dust cleared, the god Atomos could be seen, lurching out of the ground like a massive worm, rearing up Its impressive bulk. Its mouth was gaping open, drawing in a deep breath; it sucked up helpless innocent beings. _

_Dagger saw it as though it was happening in slow motion. The brave soldiers of Lindblum, risking their lives to save their beloved home, guilty of nothing but courage and loyalty. Black Mages, mere mindless destructive creatures, knowing nothing, feeling nothing, fearing nothing. They were so pitiful, created to destroy, given life to take life, having no other goal but to kill, even now, not understanding that they were being sucked to their death. Then came the innocent citizens, some grown, some barely children, every single one of them was screaming and flailing wildly, clutching on to stray pieces of wood, in vain hope that it would save them. All of them, and everything not firmly attached to the ground was tugged into the god's open mouth, never to be seen again. _

_She couldn't take it. _This is my eidolon! _she thought frantically. _It **was** my eidolon, _she corrected herself bitterly, _but I must still have **some** power over it_. She concentrated, willing it to stop, commanding it, ordering it, forcing and begging it to listen to her plea, but no response came. She fell to her knees in despair, the horrified cries of her mother's victims stabbing her heart. This was all her fault! These people! These lives and souls! They were all going to die because of her, because of her weakness. She had been too foolish to suspect her mother's intentions, too weak to prevent the extraction spell, too weak to control her own eidolon. Too weak to resist Kuja. Too weak to even stop her mother's army, to save those people. _

_The boy's arm came, patting her gently on her back as he, too, witnessed the scene of horror before them She kneeled on the ground, burying her face into her hands, sobbing at how pathetic she was. Gusts of wind continued to bring their tortured cries towards her, and all she could so was cry. Too weak and hapless to do anything, to make any difference, but cry. _

**A/N: Hi... god, I'm exhausted. OK, first off, I'm really sorry, I've had the most rotten luck so I couldn't update very fast. I'd like to thank twil1ght and g0r1 for helping me. I can't thank all of you personally, because I've twisted a tendon and may have cracked my wrist bone, so it really hurts to type. It's my own stupid fault for trying that stunt during cheerleading practice. Ow. I don't think I'll be able to write anytime soon, so if you want to know when it's updated, tell me, and I'll e-mail you. See ya... Ugh. **


	8. May the Battle Begin

**RE-UPDATED: 27/02/05**

**Disclaimer: Hi! I … I … don't exactly _own_ it… but… well… own is such a hard to describe word… so maybe I do have one itty-bitty part of it… Heck fine, so I don't own a single scrap! But I own this story! So there! I do have something! Anyway, on with the fic!**

**A/N: By the way, congratulate me! Look! I can do special formatting! YAY! (Fine giggles I know that I'm acting weird! But my school examinations have just ended today, which is about the only reason I'm allowed to glue myself to this lovely work of art and give you guys this chapter!)**

Dagger sat bolt upright on her bed, gasping for air and bathed with sweat. She narrowed her eyes; there was no pain in her body this time despite the shallow grooves that ran across her arms… No, this time, the greatest hurt was in her heart. Unlike her last experience of waking up in her bed without having the faintest inkling of how she got there, she could recall every single painful detail of her dreams, starting from one of her earliest memories to recent ones. She hissed angrily, remembering every one of those scenes, remembering how weak she used to be… And most possibly still was.

From the very beginning, when she was a mere child of six and being tossed like a rag doll in that pathetic excuse of a boat, she was useless. It was her fault her mother died, if she could have taken care of herself, her mother wouldn't have had to make that sacrifice.

_The Summoner's Key_! The thought struck her suddenly. She remembered… to save her and ensure good health for her daughter; her mother had performed that ancient ritual. It was rather like a trade, one summoner for the other, to seal the bargain, the Gods would watch over the one who lived until the danger or spell wore off.

Dagger fell back on her pillows, thinking about the white lightning that she had absorbed. She could only guess what the words that her mother chanted meant, but she had a feeling that she had transferred all the eidolons from her own body to her daughter's. Not only that, she seemed to have pleaded to the sky to cause Dagger to absorb other dead members' of the tribe's summons as well. Her heart began to beat slightly faster at that thought, _I may be able to summon more gods that I can now! _She realized _that's why I can summon more than Eiko!_

Suddenly, she remembered crawling on the ground as a man sliced her horn clean off. _My father_, she thought darkly, because of him, I have no memory of my past. And yet, he isn't here for me to berate because of that murderer. _I **will **find out who he _was. She swore silently, _I **will **avenge my father's death! _She felt a single tear trickle down her face as she recalled all of this. She understood that none of this would ever have happened if she hadn't been so weak. It was her fault her biological mother died, her fault she couldn't protect herself, couldn't save her father … and was ultimately responsible for the deaths of Lindblum.

Each time, after those painful happenings, she would promise herself that she would be stronger, each time, she failed. _But this time_, she countered mentally, this _time is different. This time Garland is teaching me, and I will never be weak again._

Suddenly, she began to shiver, not from her chilling thoughts, but from the cold. She drew her blankets closer to her body and frowned. It was no wonder she was cold, she had been so deeply immersed in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed that there wasn't a single stitch of clothing on her body!

"GARLAND!" she screamed, clutching her blankets tighter.

"You called?" came a deep voice from the shadow by the doorway. Out emerged Garland, looking craggier and older than ever as he shuffled towards her.

"What did you do to me?" she shrieked angrily, one arm used to hold the sheets in place and the other held in front of her, signaling him to stop moving. "And how long have you been standing there?"

"I did nothing," he replied calmly, his face was in the shadow, so she couldn't see his expression. "I just teleported here at your beck and call," his voice contained only the slightest hint of sarcasm.

"Then- then why am I… am I-" she stumbled over her words, seeming unable to bring herself to say the word 'naked'. "Am I … like this?" she ended finally.

"In case you haven't noticed," answered Garland dryly, "You have been wounded again. Though this isn't as bad as it was a week ago, I'm afraid that you may not recover quite as fast."

"So?" demanded Dagger impatiently, wrapping her blanket tighter around her person.

"So I needed to clean you injuries, lest they should be infected," countered Garland, still calm and unruffled. "I highly doubt that your friends would be pleased if you returned to them scarred and mangled," he paused, waiting for her reaction, but she merely continued staring at part of a wall. "Besides, if it helps, it wasn't me who cleaned you."

"Right," she muttered vaguely, still lost in her thoughts. When he mentioned her friends, she had felt so sad. Their faces kept appearing in front of her, but she felt as though she hadn't seen them in ages, and it was as if she was fighting her way through a heavy fog to recall what they looked like.

Fought. Fighting.

That was just about all she ever did these days. She got up, she hunted, she passed the exams that Garland gave her and she fought and fought and fought until there was nothing more to fight. Now, she was even fighting to remember how the people she loved most looked like. But she had no time to dwell on such matters, since there was a huge feeling of indignation at being stripped of her clothing and dignity welling up inside her which made her feel like yelling at him, seizing her normal clothes and storming out. Yet, this annoying, persistent little voice that kept on reminding her of her resolution to be strong, further tangled her already tangled web of emotions. With the sense of loneliness and longing, indignation and fury, determination to prove herself, she felt confused, puzzled and sad.

Finally, ignoring her inner turmoil, she raised her head and looked at Garland right in the eye, asking him firmly, "Did I pass?"

Garland seemed taken aback for a few seconds, but in the blink of an eye, his peaceful mask was back in place. "You passed … most of the test. Sadly, you failed the last bit… when you saw the dead awaken."

Dagger didn't know whether she was supposed to feel joyful or disappointed. In the end, she just said, "Why did you even give me that test? You know that I could have defeated them easily had they not taken the faces of my friends."

Her mentor's face showed no expression, the only reaction that she could see to her question was the slight tightening of the corners of his mouth and eyes. "That was the whole point of my examination. Your physical strength has improved by leaps and bounds, beyond what I have thought possible for one so weak before. (Dagger cringed at the word 'weak') Yet, I found myself unsure of how you had guarded yourself mentally." He stared at her, and she had to stop herself from shivering as she met his piercing gaze head on. She felt like he was penetrating into her soul and finding out how fragile and easy to break she really was. He continued, "How was I to know if you would falter the moment you saw an enemy take the image of one you held close to you heart? I had to assure myself that you would not have your vision clouded by he who is dear."

Dagger fell back onto her pillows again and gave a miniscule nod. Garland was right, if she had not hardened her heart in the beginning, she would easily have been pummeled to death. But, if she hadn't drawn back at the last moment and prevented herself from killing the image of Vivi, she would have won and remained conscious. With a start, she gasped as she realized the conclusion she had come to. In order to forever rid herself from her weakness, she would have to have no connections. No care for others. No loves. No friends.

She blinked several times in order to hold back the tears that were steadily forming in the corners of her eyes. "How long have I been unconscious this time?" she asked faintly, still stunned from her cold hearted resolution.

Garland seemed surprised by the sudden change in his student's demeanor, but he answered nevertheless. "One day, but I gave you an Elixir, which should enable your recovery to full strength," he eyed the cuts on her face and arms before continuing, "I suppose that you'll want to rest for a few days before continuing again."

"No!" Dagger retorted with so much force that she astonished herself and Garland. "I've been here for about over 3 months already! I'll need to leave in a month or so. I want to be strong! To be the protector, not the protected! I want to know how to fight!"

Garland eyed her sternly and appraisingly, with something of what may have been a hint of admiration in his cold eyes. "Very well," he said, walking out of the room. "There's a spare set of clothes in the closet. Your meal will be at the dining hall and it is now sunset. Your challenge will be ready in the training grounds in an hour."

Dagger didn't bother to reply as he had already closed the door behind him. The moment he left, she quickly swung her legs over the side of her bed. While she dressed in her usual set of training clothes, she shuddered at the idea of Garland touching her bare body. Then, she frowned, hadn't he said that he wasn't the one who had undressed her? But how could that be? As far as she knew, she and Garland were the only sentient beings around.

_It's not like I even know much anyway,_ she though wryly, straightening her revealing skirt and picking up her Rod. She waved it slightly and muttered, "_Cura," _hoping to get rid of the cuts before they became scars. That would be easy to explain to Steiner if she came back looking like she'd been clawed by a Grand Dragon. Strangely, nothing happened. She glared at it and waved it more vigorously, but only a couple of white sparks came out.

"Alright," she said loudly and firmly to the weapon in her hand, "enough is enough. No more funny business. **_CURAGA!_**"

Dagger used the tip of the scythe to touch the ground while gripping the length of the Rod tightly in both hands. But, it stayed stubbornly magicless and quiet. She sighed and gave up, downing several bottles of Potion to make up for her strange lack of magic. She exited the room without watching her gashes seal themselves and headed straight for the dining hall.

As she walked down the wide and lonely hall, she couldn't stop her self from straining her ears for any sound that might indicate another human life form. She heard nothing but the slow whirring of machines and the sound of water dripping slowly from the cave wall. No harm, she decided, I'll just ask Garland later.

She entered the dining hall without getting lost even once, which was a vast improvement from before. The moment she glanced at the table, her stomach twisted into a huge knot and she began to feel extremely apprehensive. The huge mahogany table seemed to groaning under the weight of the numerous and heavy dishes. There were several different kinds of soups, a huge turkey, chicken, beef, lamb chops, mashed potatoes, South Gate Bundt Cake and possibly every kind of food that Alexandria was famous for, many including her favorites. Any other person would have been delighted and immediately tuck in, thinking nothing of the consequences, but Dagger knew better. In order to receiving such a feast, she had to have one heck of a challenge ahead of her.

She seated herself slowly near one of the huge pots of soup and began to serve herself. Everything was delicious. As she made her way steadily through her extravagant meal, she suddenly noticed that it was exactly like the meals that were cooked in the castle. In fact, she was fairly sure that the brownish looking sludge with yellowish green lumps was Quina's oglop stew. She could only assume that Garland had found some way to gain access to the castle kitchens for food, which would be the only believable reason she could come up with since she would sooner imagine Steiner taking off his rusty armour and doing a tap dance in the city square than Garland cooking up anything but a plan.

Despite the dark and forbidding circumstances that she was currently in, she couldn't help but smile at the image of Garland wearing a high chef's hat and a large apron that said "Kiss The cook", while frying an egg. But, her smile dimmed when that figment of her imagination reminded her of Quina and the life that she'd left behind.

The situation couldn't have been anymore different. In the life that she had had barely two weeks ago, she was a highly regarded and respected queen, the last descendent of the royal Alexandros family. Everyday, she woke up only to be forced into a tight, heavy, uncomfortable and breath-takingly expensive gown. The rest of her time would be taken up by the signing of documents, discussing the kingdom's welfare and mostly, dealing with snooty nobles who's only purpose in seeing her was to try to steal some land from her or demand for her hand in marriage. The only exercise that she got was walking around in those dreadful gowns and yelling at Steiner to throw out her would be courtiers.

Now, she was dressed in the lightest and subtlest of fabrics, which would have been inappropriate even for a peasant. She was made to fight for her life practically every single day with invisible chained heavy manacles attached to her limbs, the ones that Garland continually refused to take off, mumbling about speed and dexterity every time she asked. She was literally bathing in the blood of the ones she killed; her only defense was that she only slaughtered them after they tried to attack her. It was amazing that her muscles were still working under all the strain.

As she thought of all this, her heart ached with loneliness. She hated this dark dank cave that she trained in with only Garland for company. She hated the way he wouldn't talk to her about anything but the best way to kill a monster, the way she never had anyone to discuss her feelings with. She missed all of her companions and the bright sunshine that used to kiss her cheeks every morning. _Stop it_, she ordered herself mentally; _you're only hurting yourself. I need only continue for a few more weeks, months at the most, until my physical strength can match my magic, and then… And then, she leaned back in her chair and savored her next thoughts, I'll be powerful enough to revive the dead, I'll have Zidane and Vivi by my side all the time... and I'll never be lonely again._

She frowned, remembering her resolution to have no connections in case an enemy could use them against her. _Codswallop! _She tried to reassure her self, _I can still love them without being weak. I can still have friends; it won't do me any harm._ She continued trying to convince herself for several minutes before getting up and heading towards the field, unsure whether she really believed her own thoughts, but unwilling to lock out the only people who mattered to her.

……

Dagger stood outside the adantium doors, staring at it instead of charging inside like she always did. For some reason, something was telling her that she wouldn't like what was in there. The instincts that she had developed over the period of time she had spent there were kicking in, telling her to run away and avoid that room at all costs. She frowned and chided herself for her suspicions. _There's nothing in there that I can't handle,_ she thought firmly, trying to reassure herself and shut up the tiny voice, _I don't care. I'll do anything to be strong. **Anything.**_

She continued to stare at the door for a few more moments before taking a deep breath and swinging her arms to stretch the muscles. Then on her legs, calves, neck, back. Alright, she thought, giving herself a mental shake. It's so obvious that you're stalling. Get on with it. Taking another deep breath, she steeled herself for the worst, opened the door and stepped in.

It was total darkness.

She began to feel slightly panicky, how was she to fight if she couldn't see? Gripping her weapon tightly, she held it in front of her and tapped the ground, using it as a blind man would a walking stick. She felt a gust of wind in front of her, the swift movement of something. A human being. Her challenge.

"Garland?" she called out shakily, now practically wallowing in apprehension, searching blindly with her useless eyes.

"Yes?"

"AARGH!" she screamed and jumped backwards, landing on her behind.

Garland had simply materialized beside her with a handful of crackling cobalt flames held in front of him. He moved closer, the fire lighting up only a few feet of their surroundings. He continued watching her silently as she got up, rubbing her butt and glaring at him.

"What did you do that for?"

"I merely came when you called," he replied coolly after a slight pause. Then, he continued before she could interrupt him. "I would have come even if you hadn't called… because I have … something to do."

Dagger didn't say anything, simply staring at him while he walked around her, circling her slowly. After a few minutes of tenseness, he stood in front of her and suspended the blue flames in the air so that both his hands were free. He looked her straight in the eyes and muttered under his breath, his lips moving so fast that she couldn't understand what he was saying. Still mumbling, he proceeded to lightly touch her wrists, rubbing them softly, her ankles, shoulders, and finally, rapping her back sharply.

"Done," he declared, stepping away and slowly taking back the blue flames which continued hanging in mid-air.

"What's done?" she asked nervously, all the poking and prodding had made her feel strangely light headed, only adding to her worry.

"Jump," he said bluntly, throwing the flames up so she could see the ceiling.

"Huh?" Dagger spluttered incredulously, certain that she had heard wrongly.

"You heard me," replied her mentor, sounding slightly impatient now. "_Jump!"_

"A-alright…" she said uncertainly, he had asked her to do this before, but she always was a weak jumper and couldn't even go past her own height. She was now feeling rather dizzy and was seriously hoping that she wouldn't hurt herself.

She crouched and fired her leg muscles, springing up into the air. She yelled with surprise and gasped loudly, by the light that was being given off from the dancing flames, she could see Garland getting smaller and smaller. Right then, she shot past the light and rose steadily until … BAM!

"Ow!" she shouted, covering her head tightly with her hands, now falling with amazing speed. Unless she was highly mistaken, she had just slammed into the thick glass ceiling. But… that's impossible! She found herself thinking hazily, ignoring the ground that rushed up to meet her. I can't jump that high…it's just not possible…

Before she knew it, she had landed instinctively on the hard stone floor. But, instead of crumpling into a loud messy heap, she was standing, perfectly balanced with only the slightest hint of impact.

"But… but how…" she trailed off uncertainly, kneeling on the ground and massaging her head, which was throbbing and aching after being rammed into the ceiling.

"In case you might want to know," Garland stated, unruffled, seeming not even slightly astonished at the miraculous feat that she had just performed, "this room is 30 feet high."

"How… I?" she continued to choke out the words trying to see where the darkness ended.

"I know that you _could_ have jumped higher... but I'm afraid that the dome is too low," he said consolingly. "You didn't by any chance crack the glass did you? I don't want dirt leaking in."

"You took off the weights…" she mumbles, gazing at him in awe, comprehending at last what was happening, "So… now I can…"

"Move faster, jump higher and have grace and dexterity that is almost unachievable," he finished her sentence. "That was the whole point of weighing you down," he acted as though he hadn't noticed her throwing punches and marveling at how her movements were so fast that they were blurred, he resumed speaking with a frown. "Though I wasn't planning on releasing you so soon… Watch out!"

"Oops… sorry," she apologized sheepishly, she had just delivered a high kick and had successfully created huge spider-like cracks all along a thick stone pillar.

"Your strength increases as well, even without the Rod," he scolded patronizingly. "Please bear in mind that this is only temporary, you have yet to reach your full potential. The moment you have defeated him, they'll be put back on you."

Dagger looked up at him, what he said was finally registering in her mind. She stopped kicking and said slowly, "You said that I'd be getting the weights back after I defeated him. You said **_him_**, not **_it_**…"

Garland nodded his head; his next words caused her euphoria of finally being free of those manacles disappear faster than food did in Quina's mouth.

"This will be a battle to the death. If you don't kill him, rest assured that he shall not hesitate to kill you. Be ready," he admonished her, beginning to away. "I'll be in the control room, constantly changing the scenery. The match will begin as soon as the room lights up. Oh, and no magic allowed."

Dagger tensed, wondering where her opponent was while listening to Garland's steadily fading footsteps. Waiting was unbearable, he seemed to be taking his time, enjoying seeing her look scared and jumpy. She didn't have the faintest clue when it would start. Every plink of water was a threat, every scrape of gravel against stone his footstep, every playful breeze his presence. Her overly active seventeen- year- old mind was definitely starting to plat tricks on her.

Suddenly, before she knew it, a huge gust of wind had knocked her to the rough stone… wait… sand? She sprang up, her vision blinded by the bright sunlight and grains of sand that were painfully attacking her eyes, another vicious blow of wind swept her off her feet, making her land on the slopping hills of golden sand, causing her to slip as the loose sand crumbled and slid.

Dust and dirt was swirling in front of her, she had to squint and cover her eyes even though she was sliding towards a small and shallow valley between the brownish yellow hills, near an outcropping of rocks. She finally reached the bottom and got on her feet thankfully, fortunately, the hills and rocks prevented most of the wind from blowing sand her way. She shook her hair; feeling annoyed at all the sand caught in it, and all the scrapes that she had already received from falling down the slopes.

Then… she saw him. Through the clouds and grime, he marched confidently towards her. She couldn't see much of him, he wore a black cloak with a hood that covered his entire face. The only part of her opponent that she could see that wasn't covered by the dark material were his thick, dark brown boots as the hem of his cloak billowed in the wind, allowing her to catch glimpses of them.

He skidded down towards her with far more grace than she. His posture was like an expert surfer riding a wave. From within the folds of his cloak, he withdrew two silver long knives. As he jumped, landing a few feet in front of her, she saw a hint of rugged blue jeans. They paused, sizing each other up, each trying to predict the others' move. Dagger was already trying to remember all the information that Garland had told her on long knives and their weak points, failing to remember anything but a few details.

Dagger held her Rod in a death hold, thankful that she hadn't lost it when she had first arrived. Abruptly, without any warning whatsoever, he attacked. He rushed to her so quickly and smoothly that it seemed as if he hadn't moved at all before he appeared barely an inch away from her with his long knives raised.

She had almost no time to react, jerking her head away roughly before the knives were driven viciously into the spot it was a millisecond before. She dropped into a crouch and swung out her legs immediately, hoping to trip her attacker like she did against the image of Steiner the first time. But, he was too fast, and leapt high into the air. Refusing to be daunted and not liking the idea of being stuck on the ground waiting for him to attack, she followed him, flying up into the swirling, rough air.

Squinting against the harsh grains of sand and what not, she took several swipes at where she believed her attacker to be. But, each time, he ducked her blows effortlessly. She was astonished by his speed, most of the time; she could only see the faint outline of his form before he disappeared again. They kicked and punched each other in mid-air, trying to make contact with the others' body, but failing. After many minutes of futile attacking and evading, they landed back in the valley, kicking up more dust.

He gave a low growl and sped towards her like lightning, doing a beautiful yet deadly dance with his knives. Dagger needed every last bit of concentration to avoid his attacks. Her Rod was blocking each blow he delivered as she swung it in every direction. But each time it met cold steel, she could feel the jarring force running up her arms. If Garland hadn't removed those weights, she would've been sushi within seconds; he was so powerful, that she could almost see his battle aura shining around him. Already tiring, she stuck the scythe of her weapon into the ground, using it to propel her upwards, she flipped twice before using one hand to land on his shoulder, with the other gripping her weapon, so her body was straight in the air with only one arm for support. Then, she brought her feet down, contacting them with his lower back before jumping off. All this happened in a matter of seconds, giving him no time to defend himself.

He tunneled through the loose sand face first and on his stomach from the force of her kick, but before he even stopped sliding, she ran in front of him so fast that she seemed to appear out of thin air, swinging her Rod to finish him off. Quick as she was, he had already reacted, dodging the gleaming scythe but receiving the length of the Rod on his forearm instead. She heard a sickening crack, but if he felt any pain, he didn't show it.

Before she could blink, he had thrown both his long knives like boomerangs; she barely managed to step away. Even so, the tip of the first knife tore her sleeve, thankfully missing her arm. Keeping her eyes on him, she moved deftly to the right, away from the sliding kick he used, after missing his target, he lost his balance and skidded off. She was so intent on not letting him out of her sight that she ran straight into the second knife, which sliced her thigh deeply.

She let out a hiss of pain and rage, imagining the smug smile on his unseen face. Obviously, that kick was meant to be a distraction and nothing more. She imitated him, but with a far different tactic in mind. Holding her whirling Rod in front of her like a fan, it blew sand and grain directly into his face, clouding his vision. She grinned, knowing where he was and lashing out directly, feeling the impact. To her surprise, a boot came flying out of the clouds of dust and connected with her face, throwing her back and making her land about ten feet away. He returned every attack of hers; doing his moves so perfectly and smoothly that fear began to grip her heart. Her thrusts were getting more and more desperate and her defenses weaker. Yet, neither of them could win any ground.

Suddenly, they were in a thick jungle filled with towering trees and plants. She stood high on a thick branch, trying to keep her balance. Abruptly, she ducked, trusting her instinct that saved her from becoming a big messy stain on the mossy floor. Behind her, he had launched himself at her by using a vine to swing towards her, trying to knock her off.

After missing her, he somersaulted several times in the air before landing lightly on a lower branch. She gritted her teeth and jumped off, slanting slightly so she was aimed at the tree he stood on. A quarter to the base, her kick landed right on target, causing the tree to shake violently and his balance to wobble precariously. There was a crack and she could feel the wood splintering. Although her strength had increased, it was nowhere near his, and she sensed that it wasn't enough. Without hesitation, she sliced the trunk cleanly with her Rod before grabbing a vine to slide down to the ground.

The tree toppled, knocking down other saplings and plants, affecting the oaks and redwoods that surrounded it. Dagger continued cutting them down and pushing them so that they fell in the intended direction- exactly where he was-. Finally, she stopped, leaning against one of the few remaining oaks in the area and glancing down at the wreckage. Breathing heavily, she wiped the sweat from her face and gulped down a Hi-potion, watching her cuts and bruises heal as they had done so many times before.

She surveyed the clearing that she had made in the center. All the trees that she had cut had landed there, crushing her adversary. Dust was flying, twigs and leaves were dropping, but she had already defeated him. She glanced at the hourglass that Garland always kept near the control room so she could time herself. Hours had already elapsed. Her world had become a swirl of offence and defense that she couldn't even keep track of time anymore, by the weariness and pains in her body, she would've expected it to be at least several hours. He was far by one of the most skilled men with a sword that she'd ever had the misfortune of meeting. He exceeded General Beatrix and Sir Fratley by so much! But, she couldn't help thinking that Zidane would've been more than a challenge to him.

Zidane… her heart still yearned to see him. What happened to "Time will heal everything, My Queen."? She wondered bitterly. Her body ached for him to hold her close, longing to hear his usual words of comfort and reassurance. She hastily brushed the tears welling up in her eyes, chiding herself.

Then, a twig snapped.

She spun her head so fast that she could feel the back of her neck crick. Blinking her eyes, she saw the leaves from the huge mess that she had created rustle and move. Slowly, as if time had stopped, he stepped out calmly. His cloak was ripped and tattered, but he appeared unscathed. But, that wasn't what frightened her the most and made her heart skip several beats. Not even close.

_He was glowing a sliver blue shade._

_Oh God… NO! _she thought, shocked, **_He's tranced!_**

……

Far away, safe inside his control room, Garland watched his pupils battle. He had to admit that they were very evenly matched, which was surprising, considering that Dagger had started training much later. Both of them were dark blurs, not because they were far away, but because of their inhuman speed. He saw them leap high into the air, so fast the atmosphere around them snapped and crackled, they generated enough friction and heat to cause the rocky outcropping to chip and crumble.

The skill that both of them showed was undeniable. But, it was obvious that it was his old pupil who was the stronger and the more experienced veteran. Dagger only seemed to move and attack by using her senses and feelings. Which, admitted to himself, _was _just as good.

Already, he could see that they were emitting too much power, for, around them, sand was starting to swirl faster and faster, maybe turning into a tornado if they didn't stop. Still they continued fighting, finally forcing him to change the scene to a rainforest.

He observed the drama before him; they leapt from tree to tree, causing him to be afraid even to blink, lest he should miss any bit of it. Suddenly, trees began falling in a perfect circle, as he squinted harder, he could make out the squinted figure of Dagger deftly slicing the trees, with her opponent smack in the middle of the trap.

He leaned back in his chair. Very good, he thought, entwining his fingers. At last, she's to think in battle, all the while still managing to rely on her instincts. After a few minutes, his student still hadn't emerged; he saw her leaning against a tree and lost in thought. _You assume too much_, he mused, scolding her; _I've got to remember to give her a lecture on letting her guard down. No trainee of mine can be defeated in battle do easily._

Then, he saw it. It had been a long time since his usually calm and serious pupil had been angered enough to trance, proving his theory that Dagger was one of the most aggravating people he had known, with a definite ability to tick him off. She was backing away from the ominously glowing figure. Garland stretched his arms above him and smiled. _May the battle begin._

**A/N: Well? What did you guys think! I need input! Stat! truth be told, even though I really love this story, I'm seriously thinking of stopping… I dunno… you see, I just started writing a new fic about Harry Potter… HP fans kindly go and read! Well.. I guess that what I'm really saying is that I feel no motivation… maybe because I'm getting more reviews for my other story. Anyway, leave a review if you want a next chapter… if not, this may be your last! Oh, and please! TELL ME THAT YOU PICKED UP THE HINTS THAT THERE WAS SOMEONE THERE OTHER THAN THOSE TWO!**

**Oh, and my friend told me that I made Dagger sound kinda evil… well, actually, she's not really turning bad.. I'm planning to elaborate more if I continue. Did ya see how long this chappy was? You people had better appreciate this! Oh, if you want shorter chapters, you better tell me… because… well… never mind, just tell me what you want. **


	9. Don't Go Down Without A Fight

**RE-UPDATED: 27/02/05**

**Disclaimer: Squaresoft owns everything but my plot and characters.**

Dagger screamed in pain as she was thrown violently into the dirt, one side of her body slamming into a huge boulder. She stood up shakily, using her Rod for support and eyeing the figure approaching her.

He walked so calmly and slowly, as if he were merely taking a stroll on a warm summer's day, while she stood there, barely on her feet, bleeding, bruised and weary. Oh, how she _hated _him for that. Suddenly, he dropped his cool pace and dashed straight for her, Dagger blinked her eyes and found him right in front of her, punching her straight in the stomach. She gasped; her eyes contracting and mouth open, struggling to breathe. She flew upwards from the force of the blow. Miraculously, though she was still having trouble drawing her breath, she stuck out her Rod and used the curved end to catch hold of a tree branch, praying inwardly that it wouldn't slice right through it, and swinging two full circles before releasing her hold and going straight at him.

Even as she flew towards him with her leg stretched out, she knew that he could avoid her blow easily by his relaxed stance. She frowned in anger, ever since he had Tranced and come out of the wreckage, he had been completely impossible to hit. When he moved, she couldn't even see him until he was right next to her. As she fought with him, she felt like she was being caught in a tornado with a hundred jaws snapping at her. That was how futile she felt her fight was, trying to lay her pathetic blows against the mighty wind. The force that was so powerful, yet untouchable.

Sure enough, just as she was about an inch away from him, he moved and disappeared. To prevent herself from landing flat on her face, she used her Rod to take the impact and as a pivot so she could swing her body around and plant her feet firmly on the ground. Without waiting, she charged straight at him, for every slash or swipe she delivered, the fear and despair that had been worming itself in her heart grew deeper. Her world had been turned into nothing more than attack, counter-attack, scream with pain, struggle to prevent herself from fainting and attack all over again.

He was like liquid metal, playing with her, just to see how long it would take before she cracked or gave up, letting her try to hit him while he countered effortlessly, reminding her so much of a cat playing with a mouse. He made her feel like a big clunky klutzy thing made of wood and held together by rusted nails. She couldn't possibly beat him unless she Tranced. Even then, the outcome was still uncertain.

Her arms quivered as she blocked his knives, although most of the impact was absorbed by her Rod, the remaining force ran up her arms, making her stumble and fall. She landed hard and crashed into a tree. She leaned back against the rough, slightly splintered bark, feeling the sharp bits of wood poke the tender skin of her neck as she rested her weary body, watching, defeated and weak. He walked up to her, taking his time with grace in every step. She closed her eyes and waited for the final blow to come.

It would have been so much easier if he had just dashed over to her and sliced her head off. She even found herself feeling slightly annoyed that he didn't kill her faster. Instead, she was being forced to wait for her death, sitting on the dirty ground, beaten and bruised. It was so ironic that it was almost laughable. The Queen of Alexandria, who had helped save Gaia and defeat Necron, was being killed by a faceless stranger while an old man who had tried to destroy the world she had saved watched. The last descendant of the royal family who wasn't really part of that family killed, with her closest friends not even knowing where she was. _Hahaha._ She thought wryly.

But she didn't even feel like lifting a finger to defend herself, she was so tired and desperate, that she almost welcomed death. _Maybe this is for the best_, she mused sadly, her eyes still closed, _I came here to be strong, but now I am to die. I could ask Garland to stop him, but I won't. There's nothing left for me here. No purpose for me to stay._

She could feel him approaching her, and then stopping and just standing in front of her, obviously confused by her lack of movement. She allowed a small smile to creep up onto her exhausted face, just to make him wonder. Just then, a small figure popped into her mind, large glowing eyes blinking up at her and hands carefully arranging his hat. At the sight of him in her mind's eye, a memory resurfaced.

"_D-don't go, Dagger," he said softly, both of them were standing at the observatory in Lindblum. She had run up there right after her meeting with her uncle had ended, telling him that she needed to be alone. Little did she know that the mage had followed her._

"_Vivi. Don't you understand!" she sobbed, her voice making him cringe. She could sense it without even having to turn around, and personally, she didn't blame him. It was bordering hysterical and mad, yet seeming eerily monotonous and unfeeling at the same time. But she couldn't have cared less how horrible and crazy she sounded. Who would care what other people think if they had just received the news that the man that they had loved with all their heart couldn't possibly have survived the Iifa tree's clutches, and that if he had, he was probably badly mangled and limbless? "**I don't want to live without him! HE'S DEAD!** God! He's DEAD!"_

"_Dagger, don… don't d-do it…" he replied, nervous, but in the same consoling tone, inching closer to her, who had one knee on the balcony wall next to the telescope, and the other prepared to join her so that she could leap off any second. "H-he wouldn't have w-wanted you t-to die… Not like this… not a-at all…"_

"_Well I wouldn't know, **now would I!**" she snapped, taking out her anger and pain on the innocent Black Mage who was just so conveniently there. "He's GONE! He's left me on this worthless world! I'm going to join him! There's no purpose left for me to live!"_

"_T-that's not r-right!" he said, angry for the first time, his voice desperate and hardening. "There's always a reason to live! Don't you care about us? About me? We've lost one of our closest companions…Please… don't make us lose two."_

"_Vivi…" she mumbled, stunned, the thought of how her death would pain her closest friends had never once occurred to her since she had been trapped in her own limbo world of hurt and sorrow. _

"_We'll miss you, D-dagger…" continued Vivi, walking slowly but steadily closer to her, as though he was afraid that any sudden movement would send her hurtling down to her doom. He held her hands gently to make sure that she didn't jump off, "W-we love you… Don't end your life because of this… For all y-you know... he's still a-alive."_

"_Vivi…" she whispered again, tears rolling down her cheeks, her heart filling with hope. It even helped to cry so freely… as a Queen, she wasn't allowed to cry lest her subjects see her. She held onto his gloved hands tightly, like they were her lifeline and stepped down from the ledge. "Thank you…"_

"_D-don't ever do that again," said Vivi in an urgent, reprimanding tone. "Don't **ever** give up your life without a fight."_

"_A-alright…" at this, she could take it no more, she keeled over, kneeling on the ground and flinging her arms around Vivi's neck and buried her face in his warm leathery cloak. "Vivi! Promise me! Just promise me! You'll_ never _leave me like Zidane did!"_

_Vivi_ _said nothing, but continued stroking her hair softly. For the first did it occur to her that Vivi was already over twelve years old, he couldn't possibly have much of a life left even if he was a prototype. She looked into his eyes and blinked, realizing then, that even now, at that very moment, he was fighting to survive. There were telltale signs of his struggle all over him, his golden yes had dimmed slightly, flickering in an out of sight every now and then, the movement of his limbs were shaky, his steps slower and his coat more worn._

"_Just don't leave me…" she said softly, hugging him even tighter, knowing that she would never be able to understand the torture he was going through, the fact that there he was, all alone, trying to fight against the force of death or Stopping, was unbearable to her. Every second of his life, was spent trying to exist. But, two months later, he Stopped, leaving her with only his hat and a handwritten message of goodbye as remembrance, bringing_ _her to her current predicament._

_Don't ever give up your life without a fight;_ his voice echoed through her head, _there's always a reason to live!_

Flashes of his funeral ran through her head, herself holding his hat and placing it gently into his coffin, framing the message that he'd left behind. **(A/N okay, the message that he left behind is the one in the game. You know, in the end, there was a load of messages and everything? Well, there was one saying goodbye and blah blah blah about how he'll miss them, that's his.) **The image of him toddling up to her, _We_ _love you, _his voice whispered in her ear.

Dagger's eyes snapped open and quick as a flash, she rolled forward, right between her attacker's legs. He was still stunned by her abrupt recovery, and too shocked to move. _I'm **not** going down,_ she thought fiercely, glaring at him, _Not_ _to you. Not like this._

She ran towards him with new vigor, whirling her Rod and lashing with her arms and legs. His shock was evident at the determination and fury of her attack, as he stumbled slightly while trying to defend himself.

She aimed a head breaking kick at his face. At the last second, he grabbed her leg and clutched it, holding it tightly over his shoulder. She suppressed a grin and used her other leg to kick him before she lost her balance. He immediately grabbed it with his other arm so both her legs were clasped tightly on to his shoulders. In a blink of an eye, she threw her weight backwards, surprising him and landing firmly on her hands so that her whole body was leaning backwards with her legs still grasping his neck. She grunted, and with a burst of strength, she brought him into the air, throwing him away. She flipped over and landed on her feet, hearing a loud thump signified that he had just landed in a clump of bushes.

She glanced down at her feet and frowned, picking up the tattered black cloak that lay near her on the ground. She threw it aside and looked anxiously at the bushes that he had landed in. what would he look like? A disfigured mutant? Was that the reason he wore that cloak?

The bushes rustled and she stepped closer, eager to get a good look of her finally unmasked opponent. Out of the undergrowth he rose, a sight that caused her breath to catch in her throat. She stared at the man that had haunted her dreams and nightmares for nearly two years. The man that she had sacrificed almost everything for. Just standing there, little bits of leaves and grass caught in his hair that rustled slightly in the faint breeze, looking as he always did when he approached her in her sleep, which was the only time she got to see him.

"Oh God…" she uttered, her throat tight, "Zidane…"


	10. I'm Sorry

**RE-UPDATED: 27/02/05**

**Disclaimer: I do not own FF9, never have, never will… (sigh, not feeling as upbeat as usual… due to lack of response from reviewers, except for certain few…)**

"_Zidane_…" she repeated in a ragged voice, her tone between immeasurable joy and complete disbelief. Her arm dropped limply to her side and she stepped forward, blinking back tears that had begun to well and prickle in the corners of her eyes.

She continued to walk forward as though she were in a dream, unable to feel the soft ground beneath her feet, nor the steamy air that rose from the jungle floor, all she wanted was to touch him… to assure herself that he really was there. Her attacker seemed surprised at her willing approach of him, his eyes widening, but this did not stop him from raising his knives into battle position.

"Zidane?" she asked softly, sanding about a foot away from him, staring at the familiar face that betrayed no emotion. Every sensible nerve in her body was screaming at her to get ready for another attack, to avoid the obvious trap. If that were really Zidane, he wouldn't have harmed you! Her mind shouted, this is merely another test of Garland's! Giving you a look alike to fight! Simply to see how you would react! Remember in Branbal? Remember how most of the Genomes resembled Zidane in _some_ way? _But this is different!_ She argued back, _he looks **exactly **like Zidane!_

Her brain understood that that was most likely the truth, but her heart refused to accept it. Her brain commanded her body to stop, yet, the longing that she had felt, the loneliness, the emotion kept her there, immobile and staring, wanting nothing more than for him to hold her tightly in his arms, whispering words of comfort and sweet nothings to her.

He stared at her for a moment, his tail swishing and the golden hair rustling in the slight breeze, seeming confused by her actions. Finally he said harshly, "I know not of this Zidane! I know nothing of who you speak!"

Dagger flinched inwardly at the statement, but she didn't move, too shocked and hurt by the roughness in his voice to respond. Where Zidane's tone was warm and kind, joyful and full of hope, the man who stood before her had the exact same voice, same deepness, inflections and smoothness. But his tone… his tone! The friendliness that was always there was nonexistent! No… he spoke to her with hatred that had the intensity of a thousand suns, anger in every syllable, but her trained ears picked up hints of loneliness and pain, signifying a heart that had never loved nor been loved.

Before those thoughts were even fully formed, he attacked again, the blows rained down on her relentlessly, but Dagger only blocked them half-heartedly. She could feel the distant pain of the beating her body was taking, the way her flesh was beaten, but they were all… fuzzy, as if they were happening to someone else. She stared at him even as she was pummeled, watching the way his face screwed up in concentration, so like it had more than a year ago when he was thinking hard.

As abruptly as the blows had started, they stopped. He let her fall to the ground, staring at her, then, he asked in the same harsh tone, but with some curiosity this time, "Why will you not fight back? Attack me!"

She just continued to stare at him blankly, why was he like this? Didn't he love her? But it seemed that the fact about the man that she couldn't accept, which was that he wasn't Zidane, seemed to value honor and a fair fight. After all, he could just finish her off easily, it's not like it was hard or anything. On one hand, there was a Tranced man who had unbelievable fighting skills and power. On the other hand, there was a weakened, not fully trained girl who refused to attack and just sat there dumbly.

"Zidane…" she said again, looking up at him from her position on the ground. "Why are you hurting me? Why didn't you come back to me?"

He looked astonished, then his gaze hardened, he took her by the shoulders and shook her roughly, "I am _not_ Zidane!" he snarled. "Now attack me! I refuse to attack those who don't fight back!"

With his face only a bare inch away from hers, she could examine his features clearly. She stared into his eyes, as she had on many occasions before. Then, she frowned slightly. Weren't Zidane's eyes turquoise? She asked herself, remembering the greenish blue shade. The teenager that was shaking her had eyes that were a deep emerald green, darkening with confusion. Slowly, she noticed slight differences in his features with the one in her memory… and his skin seemed a little paler than she remembered… and his hair a deeper shade of gold.

Finally, with the impact of these realizations hitting her, everything clicked, forcing her to see what she had obstinately closed her eyes to. "You aren't Zidane…" she whispered so softly that no one could hear her. "You _tricked_ me…"

Suddenly, all her emotions flared up at once, pain turned to anger, loneliness to fury, longing to viciousness and lust for revenge. She stood up roughly, causing him to stop shaking her and take a few steps back. _Everything is all a lie… _she thought hazily, clenching her fists. _They knew that I would fall for it… they thought me a fool!_

She screamed.

She screamed uncontrollably, with all the feelings conflicting in her rising up. Her opponent backed further away, being forced by the power emanating from her being through her rage, young trees and saplings were uprooted, branches flew, rocks swirled and the fierce wind howled.

"_You played with my emotions! Toyed with me!"_ she screamed furiously, "_You lied to me! You aren't Zidane! YOU – WILL – PAY!"_

She screamed again, before bursting into a glowing golden light.

……

_Finally_, thought Garland, smiling to himself, she finally let her hatred loose. He watched the two below, both of them Tranced and glowing, attacking each other ferociously. He knew that having her other student there would trigger her anger.

Everything was working perfectly, he mused with satisfaction. So… maybe I'll lose one of my best pupils when she kills him… but it's necessary, she has to do it to be able to harden her heart efficiently. Even with that loss, Dagger would rise above them! She would be of so much use!

Entwining his fingers together, he leaned back into his chair and proceeded on watching the battle that raged below him.

……

Dagger knew nothing. Felt nothing but the amazement at the rage and power that coursed through her veins. She thought that she had felt the limit of her strength when she had first wielded her Rod. It was natural for her strength to increase when she Tranced, but this... this was something else! Her performance had been raised to new heights! Even though she had Tranced numerous times in the past, she had never felt like this before! Right then and there, she fully understood what people meant when they said that they felt invincible.

Oh, how she understood.

She smiled as dashed forward in a blink of an eye, kicking the false copy of her love high into the air, waiting patiently for him to fall and whacking him with her Rod just before he hit the ground, sending him tunneling through the dirt painfully. _This is child's play_, she thought easily, happy to be able to take out her anger on anyone at all, and how convenient it was that the person there would happen to be the very one that would hurt her so much, both physically and mentally.

Suddenly, from the warm jungle place, the scene changed to a huge lake with frothing waters that stretched farther than the eye could see. Both of them stood on separate slippery stepping-stones, barely larger than her hand. Beneath her, the water gurgled; she frowned in puzzlement, cautiously dipping the hard metal into it. Immediately, there was a frenzied rush for the weapon, gleaming scales could be seen and teeth flashed as they made their way to her.

She lifted her Rod back up; flinging several of the piranhas that had stubbornly fastened their razor sharp teeth on the blade. _Child's play_, she repeated to herself silently, _for Garland to use such tactics against me at this height of powe_r. She launched herself off the tiny rock, both of them met in mid-air, but it was pointless.

He was no match for her now, thanks to the turn of events. Time and time again, they would fight over the water before landing securely on a stepping-stone, and time and time again, she would slash him and fling him far away. Yet, he would still get up and fight.

She whipped her body around, swiftly landing a blow at the side of his head with her outstretched leg before landing gracefully on another tiny rock. He flew towards the piranhas, twisting and turning his body frantically, trying desperately not to hit the water. Fortunately, he managed to land a hand on another rock before flipping away to get a firmer footing.

The moment he stood assuredly on one leg, both of them leapt again to attack. Dagger fought furiously, every blow that she delivered was flawless, any move, no matter how complicated was executed perfectly. And yet, through out the fighting, she kept feeling as though she was dreaming, but she knew that she wasn't. The matter of time, or how much energy she used, was a distant problem, she wasn't conscious of much of it, the entire world had only become her, the imposter and the battlefield.

She wasn't aware of how much time had passed; it could've been half an hour, five hours, a full day, maybe even two. She didn't even care. Slowly, everything melted away, and even more slowly, so did her anger. Once her anger had faded, the ferociousness of her attack diminished, but this didn't prevent her from sending her opponent near the jaws of death many times. Toying with him the same way she felt that he had played with her. _See how you like it,_ she thought spitefully, _being helpless and pushed around by people._ Abruptly, the scene around her changed again, no longer were they on a lake, but in some place that seemed to be the fabric of time and space.

Everything was moving, and so did Dagger, not even pausing to take in her surroundings before launching herself at him ruthlessly. Still, while she was ducking and dodging, swiping and whirling, she examined the place out of the corner of her eye, and she could only say one thing. It was beautiful. Some places were completely dark, with tiny lights that resembled stars winking and blinking all around them, multicolored hazes swirled and shifted, at the same time, everything was constantly moving, changing and shifting. Occasionally, huge streaks of colored lights would shoot past her, reminding her of when they plunged into the Shimmering Island. Once second she was blinded by haze, and the next, she was wobbling in the darkness with only stars for light.

But none of this stopped her from pummeling the object of her pain relentlessly. Punch for punch, kick for kick was traded. Until at last, she decided that she had had enough. Ducking his blades, she slid on the smooth invisible floor through his legs. Standing quickly, she delivered a series of blows with her arms and legs in a blur, what looked like one punch was actually a hundred, until she sent him flying, hopefully long enough to stun him or leave him winded, so she could slice off his head painlessly. She didn't know why she wanted it to be painless… for someone who certainly wouldn't have minded killing her in agony, she sure was showing a lot of consideration.

As if Garland were sensing her dark intentions, then scene melted into a foggy, cold and dark place with some wan light struggling to get through the thick, heavy clouds and mist. She couldn't help but shiver slightly from the cold, giving her smooth skin goosebumps. The whole place consisted of varying shades of gray, the sky was a light shade of it, the ground so dark it was almost black, the soil stiff, hard and obviously poor. Plants and trees were withered and wilting, most surrounding statues... or large… rocks? Gravestones. _Oh my lord_, thought Dagger, recoiling in horror, _a graveyard… the place practically reeked of death!_

Dagger searched quickly for him, not wanting him to spring out and surprise her from nowhere. And then she saw him; saw the blue light that still emanated from him faintly. When she approached, he was slumped against a skeletal, hollow tree, its braches were thin and brittle, reaching up to the threatening sky the had begun to drizzle slightly, splattering her face with raindrops. He lay there, but he wasn't momentarily unconscious as she had hoped, he was awake.

His forest green eyes were open and staring, showing flickers of fighting spirit in them. Dagger realized that he was hurt too badly to continue, and most likely, too exhausted. Just as that thought occurred, his Trance dimmed and faded, leaving the place to be even more dreary than before. His face was covered with bruises; wounds from the attacks that she had dealt mercilessly showed through the rips of his clothes and exposed skin. He looked horrible, not that she looked much better her self. She was fairly sure that he had broken a bone or two and several ribs, but the unquenched fire in his eyes reminded her painfully of Zidane... refusing to give up… Zidane…

She averted her eyes determinedly, not wanting to feel herself weaken, and then she saw a cracked gravestone right next to them saying

"_Zidane Tribal_

_Beloved friend, Leader, and Companion_

_17 years of age_

_Died bravely before being **murdered** by Queen Garnet Til Alexandros 18th"_

In shock, she took a step back, opening and closing her mouth soundlessly, there was a rectangular hole in the ground, as though awaiting her to cold-heartedly kill him and toss him in. Breathing heavily, she turned back to her still opponent.

Even as she raised her Rod and shut her eyes, images of Zidane kept flitting into her mind. The more she tried to resist, the more that came. _Come on, come on!_ She pleaded to herself desperately, _you could kill those Epitaphs! Just kill him! He's no different!_ But in her heart, she knew that what she was doing was nothing short of murder… slaughter… murder… _you'll become a murderer_, she whispered to herself silently, _a murderer… killing a sentient being!_

After many long and painful minutes in that position, with shut eyes and a Rod raised above her head, she bent down and kissed him on his bruised cheek lightly, before whispering, "I'm sorry…"

After that, she fled, guessing where the dome ended and breaking through the wall with a few swipes of her Rod before running out of sight.

……

Above her, unseen by any of them, Garland was literally quivering with rage at the failure of his pupil. After all that effort and time! A simple thing like this would be her undoing! It was a disgrace! A travesty! For the first time that she had been here, she had _failed!_

He slammed his fists on the controls, making it spark and causing himself to swear loudly, using his magic to blow up half the room in order to release his anger. Finally, after an uncounted amount of time, he calmed down.

_Very well,_ he thought coldly, _I'll just have to make sure that this **never** happens again._

A/N Well.. I finally finished their battle. I probably will continue this story, firstly, because it's my baby, secondly, because I already have one heck of an ending planned out for it (this does not necessarily mean that I've written it.) and thirdly, 'cause I don't want to disappoint you guys. Anyway, submit reviews! Oh! Almost forgot! **IMPORTANT MESSAGE! KINDLY READ! Ok , I have this hand drawn pic of Dagger in her fighting outfit because I thought it would be easier for you guys to imagine properly. And may I say, that this took one hell lot of effort from me and Phrozen heart, to finish drawing. So, I realized that I don't know how to show you guys. It would help if you could tell me how to put it up on my bio!**


	11. Let Me Go Home

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of the great creation that is Final Fantasy IX. But I do happen to own the new character I introduced! Read to find out!**

She was as lost as anyone who was lost could possibly be. After that battle, that horrendous battle in which the dead had reawakened, she had run aimlessly through the maze of corridors and tunnels. Whenever she reached a dead end, she simply broke through the walls, venting out her rage on the cold stone, leaving a path that a blind man could follow. She could tell that Garland was furious with her, but she didn't care.

At last, after running for what felt like an eternity, she curled up at another dead end, its narrow walls bearing down on her. Sighing, Dagger leaned back, relief flooding through her as the cool surface touched her flushed skin, her tired and heated body finally relaxing. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she sniffed like a little girl before beginning to cry piteously.

_I was so wrong_, she thought bitterly. _I was such an idiot to think that I could possibly love my friends without being weak. Look where it got me! I couldn't kill him even though I knew he was an imposter. Not even that I couldn't, I didn't want to!_ She gave another heart wrenching sob before burying her face into her knees.

_From this day forth, I will never let anyone weaken me_, she swore. _I was and still am a fool to believe that love for others couldn't be used against me_. She wiped her tears away roughly, _Nor will I cry. Not a tear shall touch my cheeks even when I do become strong! Crying shows pain, pain is weakness… she thought darkly. There's no room for error if I want Zidane or Vivi back, no place for mistakes if I want to pass Garland's requirements_. So she sat there, curled up tightly and staring blankly at the heartless walls.

Abruptly, there was a crunch of gravel, and several foot steps before the person slowed and stopped in front of her. She didn't raise her head, knowing who t was without looking, instead, continuing to examine her boots which were encrusted with grime and blood.

Still he didn't take the hint and go.

"You're about the last person I want to see right now," she said quite conversationally after a few tense moments.

"Master Garland didn't tell me who you are," he replied, refusing to leave. His voice had lost most of its harsh quality, he would have sounded exactly like Zidane, had it not been for the sadness, the loneliness and the pain in his tone.

"That's nice," she said, sounding as bored as she could make herself sound. Dagger waited several seconds more, sincerely hoping that he would go away. Sadly, what we want isn't always what we get. And she certainly didn't want to be hopelessly lost in a series of catacombs, being confronted by an enemy whom she was supposed to kill who just so happened to resemble the man she loved.

"You didn't kill me even though you could and should have," he observed, now appearing curious.

"I noticed," she replied calmly, glad that Steiner and Beatrix weren't there to listen to her rudeness.

Again another long awkward pause.

"Why?" he finally asked.

"Why do you want to know?" she countered, looking up and immediately wishing that she hadn't as she forced back the pain she felt when she stared into his familiar face.

"You're lost aren't you?" he asked persistently.

"Gee. Really. How observant you are!" she exclaimed, her voice dripping with sarcasm, her temper flaring from the torment that her soul was receiving. She felt surprised at herself, for sounding so entirely out of character, so un-Queen-like.

"I –I'm sorry, I … shouldn't have come," he mumbled, suddenly seeming so different from the fierce challenger in the field and the curious stranger that was there moments ago.

"Wait," she called out, just as he was beginning to back away. "I – I apologize. Kindly pardon my manners… I was rather… disturbed by your presence."

"You sound so much… stiffer and polite now," he observed, not in a joking way as Zidane would have, most likely teasing her as well. But he merely appeared thoughtful. She tried to stand up. Holding on to her Rod and nearly falling down again, from numb legs and her wounds. "You're still hurt," he said, sounding …emotionless now. He paused, as if he wasn't quite sure how to behave before stepping forward cautiously, he held on to Dagger's upper arm, helping her to support her weight. Dagger gasped in pain at his vice-like grip, seeming like he'd never held anything fragile gently before. "My room is nearer, come, I'll help you."

Slowly, they trudged along to some unknown spot in the maze of passages, but she didn't notice. The only thing she did care to notice was how warm he was, despite his rough hold… so like Zidane… so like Vivi…

……

Dagger now sat on a simple bed in rather small quarters, nothing like her own room. The walls were sparsely decorated, there was no furniture except for the small bed that she was on. The rest of the space however, was occupied by different kinds weapons, several that she had never seen before.

He then came out from the bathroom, holding several large bottles of medicine. She took them form him silently and gulped it down, deciding that she'd clean up later, after she settled her curiosity that was triggered by him. Suddenly, this thought bought back a short memory from about a day or two ago.

"_-Besides, if it helps._ _It wasn't me who cleaned you-"_

"You were the one who stripped me when I was unconscious!" she accused, flushing furiously, glaring murderously at the silent figure. "Where the hell is your decency!"

"Umm…" he muttered, lost for words and a tinge of pink invading his pale face. He started to shuffle his feet. "I –I really didn't… I mean – you know… Master Garland told me to… so-"

If Dagger hadn't been so insulted, she would have giggled at his nervousness. Normally, had she been in the castle, still doing her faithful duty as Queen, she would have had him punished… but now… What was the point? What could she do? After all, what kind of Queen associates herself with a delusional idiot who tried to destroy her world?

"I'll let it slide this time, but if it ever happens again, you will live to regret it," she threatened, trying to sound serious, but failed as she lifted her hand to cover her smile, her heart lighter than it had been for many months.

"A-alright…" he said uncertainly, as though he wasn't used to her light behavior, or anybody's light behavior for that matter. "However… I still want to know why you didn't kill me."

Dagger felt her smile fading and her heart sink. She shook her head like she was trying to clear it, "You… you reminded me of someone," she said at last.

So, bit by bit, she told him all of it. She didn't know why, she hadn't even told Eiko how she felt about Zidane, though she supposed that it was pretty obvious by now. As she continued her story, she felt a connection with the stranger. She told him of how she had run away from the palace, receiving help from a wonderful group of companions, how they had defeated Necron, and finally, how they had all abandoned her in some way or other… until she was had desperately resolved to doing this in order to get the group back together, hoping that having everyone there would at least revive some of the memories and joy they shared of a year ago. She didn't tell him all of it, just the outlines, most of the story was concentrated on how much she loved that thief. While she spoke, she studied his expression, observing how emotionless he seemed.

"You are the Queen of Alexandria," he stated, a slight look of surprise flitting across his blank face.

"Umm… yeah, I did tell you that," she replied cautiously, raising an eyebrow.

"Master Garland was fuming at me for leaving a few strands of my hair in a hairbrush weeks ago," he added thoughtfully. "Apparently, he had to brush away a few of the strands that were caught in you hair in the pretense of pushing you hair back. I think that he was afraid you'd find out about me before the battle… Now I see why he wanted to keep everything so secret." Her eyes widened as she remembered herself picking out the golden hairs from the brush, and herself wondering why Garland had pushed back her hair in the corridor.

"Oh…" she looked down sadly, "I guess you're right… he did that because he wanted that fight to come as a surprise… to see whether I'd falter like during my fight with the Epitaphs… _Why!_" she exclaimed suddenly, feeling the pent up frustration come out, "Why? Why do you look so extraordinarily like Zidane! Why-"

"Zidane?" he echoed, his entire face darkening fearsomely, his tone becoming harsh, just like during their fight. "You mean the second Angel of Death? The Genome with a given soul?"

"Yes," she answered in surprise, realizing that she hadn't mentioned Zidane's name in her story, mostly seeming quite vague and babbling about how he cared for her. "How do you know him? I thought you said you didn't know who he was."

"**I – didn't**," he growled with gritted teeth, his fists clenching tightly. "At least not by name, but there is only one person whom I resemble. Throughout your story, I suspected it, but your outburst has confirmed my suspicions. When I was in Terra, he was known only as 'Kuja's Successor' or 'The Next Angel of Death'. As for why I look so much like that- that-" he snarled, trying to find a name mean enough to call Zidane, "-_that Genome_," he spat, with no better idea, "It's not something I'd like to talk about."

"Wait a second!" she snapped, offended by the way he was referring to Zidane. "I told you my entire story! And there you are, refusing to tell me a thing! I spared your life earlier! Don't you at least owe me the truth!"

"Well I don't fear death!" he snapped back, his green eyes shining with fury. "And I never asked you to spare me!"

"But I told you what you wanted to know! And I think you value honor," she shouted, impatient to find out more, "I recall that you refused to attack me when I didn't fight back! If you are a man of honor and values fairness, you'll tell me right now, who you are and what the heck is going on!"

He stopped at her words, breathing hard. "Fine," he said finally, letting out his breath and sitting down, gesturing at her to do the same. "I'll start from the beginning. Firstly, my name is …Arbron."

"Arbron?" she repeated in puzzlement.

"That – that's Terran," he sighed. "It means disgrace, unwanted one, worthless being… and other things such as that. Master Garland gave me that name."

"But… why?"

"For that, I'll need to go a little further back," he continued, though reluctantly. "I – I was and am merely a test model… Master Garland wanted to create the perfect Second Angel of Death after he discovered that the first one had a streak of rebelliousness in him, so, he designed a body, namely me. After I was finished, I happened to be unusually weak, even for a Genome. So, he… he threw me away. For many years, I was ignored, just living in this dark room, going outside only to scavenge for food. I was just a vessel, like the other Genomes… but unlike them, I was unusually bitter. Even though I hadn't much of a self, I knew that this was unfair."

"Hold it," she interrupted. "He's been that horrible to you, and you're still here? Why?"

"I'll get to that later," he said, waving it away. Anyway, through my bitterness, I gained… I don't know how, but I gained a personality. Albeit it was a dark, sad one, but it was still a personality, my being left alone like that allowed it to grow. So… I achieved a soul when I was still quite young."

"Getting your own soul," Dagger muttered. "Just like Zidane did at Branbal."

"_Stop comparing me to him!_" he burst out angrily. "All these years, I've been second to him! I was created just to ensure that he was perfect! I was left alone in the dark, weak little me, so that I didn't get in the way of his training! All that time, I was ignored while Master Garland concentrated on training him and Kuja!"

"Look! You are insulting the man I care about dearly!" she yelled, feeling the need to defend him. "I know how you feel, but you can't just blame him like that! He didn't ask Garland to make you! He didn't want you to be like this, he-"

"You don't know how I feel!" he shouted back. "How could you? After all, you're this pampered little Queen, living a life of luxury and perfection! While I'm-"

"_Pampered little Queen? Life of luxury and perfection?_" she echoed poisonously, seething. "Oh, and what do you suppose I'm doing now, huh? Sitting on my silk throne wondering which of my servants would be a more appropriate footstool! You don't know how it was traveling the four continents! You-"

"I fought death every single day of my miserable life till only several months ago!" he snarled. "Pray tell, what may your hard task as a Queen be? Oh, let me guess! _Which dress should I put on today? Light blue? Or maybe Robin's egg blue?_"

"You think that I haven't fought before?" she shrieked loudly, her entire face flushed. "Were you listening to nothing of my story! I watched two sets of parents I loved die! Then the man I loved, and then my best friend!"

"Really? Your story? Despite the outline of what happened, most of it consisted of how you ranted on and on about your comrades! What you've experienced isn't even close to anything I've faced! I didn't even _have_ friends or parents to watch die!"

Both of them shut up abruptly, taking deep breaths. His stone mask was back in place. They faced each other stubbornly, waiting for the other to break the silence. Dagger sighed when she realized that he wasn't going to budge.

"Alright… I may not exactly comprehend what your life really was like…" she said at last. "But if you'd just calm down and explain, maybe I'd be able to understand."

He looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "Maybe I should start again," he began wearily. "Like I said before, I was created to ensure that the next special Genome was physically perfect… In other words, I was just created to make sure that he was talented in every way."

He paused, some of the resentment that he'd displayed crept back into his eyes. "When they finished making checks on my body and had the entire layout of him ready with various improvements, I was sent to Branbal to work like the other Genomes…" He sucked in a breath and closed his eyes. "However… however, it was discovered that I was too weak. Far weaker than any of them due to the hasty design of my body. I was deemed to be… worthless. That was when Garland named me before sending me away."

Dagger covered her mouth again, but this time from astonishment caused by the emotion he was displaying in his manner of speaking, much more than in the first telling.

"I already told you how I gained a soul," he said after a short pause. "I had the ability to think, to believe and to acquire things and goals to value and hold on to. I knew one thing for sure… I wanted to be strong," he paused again and gazed deep into her eyes, Dagger stared back unflinchingly, feeling a peculiar bond between them.

"So, I trained. Master Garland had all but forgotten about me. Everyday, I would watch how his pupils trained, and I would copy their methods in private while they rested… Nobody noticed… no one remembered that I had existed. I suppose they wanted to push me out of their minds, like the failure I was. I kept trying of course, to make others realized that I was there… I don't know why I found it so important… it just was…"

Now, he seemed like he was talking to himself, like Dagger wasn't even there. As if he were simply repeating aloud a conversation that he'd had in his mind with himself many times before. "Everyday there was a struggle, for food, for sanity… and for my life when I trained. I understood what they meant, I had very little strength, absolutely no endurance and barely any durability. I found it amazingly hard to lift even the lightest of weapons at first, so I started off with the easiest I could find. Before progressing to more difficult and harder ones. I guess that the Master would have been right in his calculation that I was useless, but he hadn't counted on the fact of myself getting a personality. I practiced everyday of the Terran year, sometimes becoming a stowaway on the ships that the three of them used when he brought them to Gaia for training missions. I did everything I could, hoping to get his attention and praise.

"Then, Kuja and his successor left, and I thought that I could finally achieve some amount of notice, but… instead, everyone was too absorbed in the bloody plan to revive Terra to even care about my efforts, not that they knew me. But I wanted to remind them, to show them that I wasn't the weak Genome that had died helplessly without their care. So, I waited. With him gone there were more opportunities for me to train. I grew stronger, but I knew that it wasn't enough. And then, finally, that day came," he closed his eyes, savoring the words. "Kuja returned. I knew that something big was going to happen. I hid aboard a ship for days, at last, just as I suspected, everyone was to evacuate.

"I followed the other ships filled with Genomes to Gaia. After talking to a few who were to dim to realize who and what I really was, I discovered all that had happened, that the master that I had worked so hard for fourteen long years to impress was dead and gone. I refused to believe it, leaving the Genomes, I continued my training by fighting monsters on Gaia, wandering around till I found a passage to the Mist Continent. As I had been there when I had followed them down before, I knew where to go.

"After a few months, I suddenly began to hear rumors of a mysterious stranger who frequented a pub in Alexandria. There had been many such rumors before, but my intuition told me to follow this one. So, I waited every night till the pub closed for a week until he showed up. I was right. In the beginning, he mistook me for the Angel of Death, but I put him right, reminding him of how he had abandoned me two years after I was created. I believe he was desperate, and to make it up to me, he took me in and gave me training just as he had the two before me."

There was a silence after he had finished. He had opened his eyes and blinked several times, like he'd just remembered that she was there. She was more than slightly stunned by the harshness of his life story… Before she had come here, she would probably have declared him mental and asked whether he needed help. But now… she felt like she understood… _Oh God, maybe I'm going mad,_ she moaned inwardly.

"How could you go back to Garland after the way he treated you? He left you to die!" she burst out, indignant on his behalf.

"You don't get it," he answered, his eyes the only feature that betrayed any emotion. "It is and was my life long goal… to have the Master look at me and be proud… to be better than Tribal."

"He wanted to kill you!"

"If I had failed, it would have been no fault of his, it is my own responsibility if I am not good enough. It was because he left me that I could become what I am today."

"Sad and hurt without a happy past to speak of!"

"Strong and independent!"

"But he-" she began, but falling silent at the look on his face, clearly showing that he wouldn't tolerate anything that dampened his ambition. "Umm… I mean… Well, what do we do now?"

"Now, we go see the Master," he replied, shrugging his shoulders.

……

As expected, Garland was not happy. The only good point was that he had at least had time to calm down slightly when they got to him. After yelling himself hoarse for a few minutes, he just snapped that training would be much harder from then on, clean herself up or her cuts would be infected and go and eat dinner. She would start training with Arbron the next day.

They had a quiet dinner. Dagger was inclined to talk and find out more about Arbron's past, as depressing as it was, but he was quiet, like he was afraid that he had said too much earlier. Even she could sense that he hadn't mean to tell her everything. The very next day, Garland introduced her to different weapons, all of which she had used before. She began with a pair of daggers, strangely, just like her namesake, she performed considerably well for a beginner.

As soon as she was competent in their use, which took almost a week's worth of hard work, they moved on. She struggled through broadswords, (finding them hard to lift.) taking her two weeks to master, the almost killed herself many times with Forks, taking even longer with those than the previous weapon. She was fairly good with Mage Staffs, Spears and Claws, and had done wonderfully with flutes. First training against regular monsters, before engaging in a light battle with Arbron, if he hadn't been weighed down as well, she highly doubted she could survive. At any rate, she lost a good deal of fights, she was only allowed to progress to a different weapon when she had finally beaten him.

Time passed, the days didn't seem to go by quite so slowly anymore. The training had gotten harder, true, now, Dagger could barely remember a single day in which her body didn't ache. Not only that, Garland had begun to punish her. Every time he found that she wasn't good enough with the weapon, she would be locked in with the monster until she was unconscious. The moment she awoke, she would drink a few Potions, and go right back to the field.

However, for the first time she had been there, she had a companion other than a grouchy old man who disappeared at night. Although he wasn't the most cheerful person in the world, his presence alone was comforting. They each knew something about the other. At nights, if she wasn't too exhausted, she would make her way down to his room and talk with him, sometimes the conversation was rather one-sided, (mostly her talking) at times there was none at all. She would just sit by him, polishing weapons, or reading notes on techniques and information on creatures, asking him questions from time to time.

Though she wasn't sure… she could have sworn that when she was too tired to go visit him, he would come to her room to sit with her. She suspected this because she had once woken up (still half asleep) and had seen a lithe figure dash out of her room, or there were some nights when she would sleep better than others… some times maybe a few strands of golden hair on the ground. At any rate, she was grateful for company.

Three days before the play, she decided that it was time to go home. She went to Garland, he just looked at her impassively and nodded, telling her to go back to the spot where she had first come in. She packed up her meager belongings and walked confidently, by now, she knew the place like the back of her hand. But when she actually got there, she realized that she hadn't the faintest idea how to actually get out. She yelled Garland's name a few times, going around looking for him, but he was no where to be found. Obviously this was anther one of his twisted tests.

"Garland! I'm serious! I need to go home!" she shouted, staring at the blank white ceiling.

"You already know that this is a test, what's the point of yelling? He's not going to help you," came a voice from the shadows.

She didn't jump, somehow, already knowing that he was there before he had spoken. "You're not helping." She stated sulkily, used to his comments by then.

"He wants you to learn how to teleport, like Kuja did. It's easier to get around," he added.

"I don't know how to bloody teleport!"

"Have you tried?"

"NO!"

"Then how do you know that you don't know how?" he asked, infuriatingly calm. Sometimes, she found it soothing, but right now, it was just plain annoying.

"Fine, how do I do that?" she asked, forcing herself to speak slowly.

"Learn yourself."

Biting down her increasingly short temper, she walked up slowly to him. "Teach me? Please, Arbron?" she inquired pleadingly, making her large eyes as sad and as pitiful as possible.

He frowned like he wasn't sure what to do, never having encountered this sort of situation before, nor seen her act like this. She smiled inwardly, taking another step towards him, she clasped her hands together and turned her face up slightly so he could receive the full blast of her hurt puppy-dog look. "_Pretty please?_" she added softly, acting like a small vulnerable child who desperately needed a lollypop.

"Huh?" he replied, getting more confused by the second.

Sensing weakness, she took another step forward and held one of his hands lightly. "Will you please help me?"

A hint of a smile crossed his face briefly, if Dagger hadn't been so preoccupied with acting pitiful, she would have dropped his hand in shock. That was the first time she had seen him smile. "That is pathetic," he said, his mouth corners twitching, "But it's working. Come on."

She grinned triumphantly and let go off him. He walked behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Alright. This technique can bring you back here after the play. Firstly, close your eyes and imagine where you want to be," he spoke soothingly, his breath whispering against her cheek. She closed her eyes obediently, thinking about Alexandria castle. "Think of everything in detail, exactly where you want to be in that place."

She closed her eyes more tightly in concentration, thinking about her bedroom. But, long minutes passed and nothing happened.

"I can't do it!" she wailed.

"Yes, you can," he argued, tightening his grip on her shoulders. "I know that you can. Think of a place that you value… that you treasure, it's easier if you know every single detail of it."

Slowly, she thought of the Garden where her father, two mothers and Vivi were buried. She imagined the breeze bringing the sweet calming scents of mingling flowers to her, the warm sunlight kissing her face gently, the breeze playing with her hair, the flowers with their tiny petals, rustling in their safe perches. _Hey, this is pretty realistic,_ she thought in surprise. She could practically feel herself relaxing like she always did. She opened her eyes in astonishment. She was right. The dank cave was gone, it was exactly like she imagined.

She collapsed to her knees in joy and relief.

_She was home._

**A/N:** **Hi… I know that most of you want to murder me right now… I haven't updated in over two or three weeks, but I have an excuse! I swear! I was staying with a friend for a long time, Lord, it was bliss at her house, no bossy mothers to ruin my day. Well… I'm going to say that I haven't written out the next few chapters yet, so… it might take me an even longer time to update… I mean, I know roughly what I want to happen, I just haven't pictured it in my mind yet.**

**And I'm feeling very grouchy because there happens to be a LOTR carnival which I should be attending today, but I'm NOT! Because of the stinking drama class I had to go to! I don't mind it, but of all weeks, why this week! Hmph, if it weren't for the stupid class, I wouldn't have had to fly back. Anyway, I wanted to apologise, but you know, I shouldn't even be able to use the computer right now, because my annoying brother took the mouse with him when he left for holiday, but my mom doesn't know that I can use the com without the mouse, DOES SHE! HAHAHAHAHAHA! **

**Alright, I'm done.**

**Ooh, before I forget, I might decide to put this story on hold, I'm not abandoning it, I just want to work on my other Harry Potter story and finish writing the draft for this first. I mean, my exam year is next year, so I'll need concentration, so it's better if I scribble out everything, then I can try to update regularly. Well, I haven't quite decided yet, sooo… I'll e-mail you if I do.**


	12. When Substance Clash

**Disclaimer: This is so pathetic. I own nothing of Final Fantasy XI, and (let's face it here, people.) I get so much fewer reviews for this stupid fic compared to my Harry Potter one, yet I'm still writing this, why? Ugh.**

**A/N: Sorry people, I'm in a very, very bad mood right now. I was planning on putting this on hold till I was done with the other fic, but fate just hates me. I've been completely kept out of the computer for so long, (dumb lock.) and I have no inspiration, plus I lost my draft. **

**I am a sad, bitter person.**

**Oh, and I have no internet connection until way, way in the distant future, when you will see this, I would have just gotten the bloody thing back.**

**Am sad.**

**And bitter.**

**And sad.**

**And am making you listen to my griping.**

**So I'll shut up now.**

Dagger lay facedown on the bed of flowers for several long, luxurious minutes. She was glad that she had restricted practically anyone but and herself and her close friends from coming up here. For the first time in months, she let herself enjoy the sunlight gently kissing her skin and the breeze caressing her face.

Abruptly, she gave herself a mental shake. She ought to sneak into her room and change into her usual orange jumpsuit, she decided, shuddering to think of what Steiner would say if he saw her like that. Her face split into a large grin, remembering that she could be back with her companions in a few minutes. After that long, painful time in the cave with only a demented idiot who tried to destroy the world and his sad creation. _Not that Arbron was bad or anything_, she admitted, _just a little depressing to be around._

Picking herself up reluctantly, she made her way towards the castle, getting past the guards unseen was almost laughably easy now. She made a mental note to train the guards again when Zidane and Vivi were back. There was never any doubt in her mind that she wouldn't be able to do it, it was merely a question of when. She had already sworn earlier on that she would do anything to achieve her goal, and hadn't she proved her dedication by spending all that time painfully training? _No matter what the price, no matter what the cost,_ she decided.

Slipping silently into her room, she changed quickly before clipping her hair back and stashing the Rod in her closet. Flopping onto her bed, she hummed quietly to herself. Soon, she was singing like she always did, walking to the window and listening to the doves coo around her. Suddenly, the door burst open. In a flash, she was up and preparing for hand to hand combat.

"Your Highness!" gasped Beatrix as she came in, surprised by Dagger's fighting stance.

"My Queen!" yelled Steiner, rushing up and embracing her tightly.

"I knew it!" said Beatrix triumphantly. "What did I tell you Steiner? No one else in the land can sing like that! And when I said that I heard her up here, you told me that I was hallucinating! Who's hallucinating now, Captain?"

"C-can't breathe," choked Dagger, turning slightly blue as the sharp edges of his armor dug into her skin.

"You're Majesty! Where have you been? We've searched everywhere for you and not a trace was found! I've been worried sick! My Queen, are you alright? What have you been doing? Where were you!" wailed Steiner, still crushing her.

"After such a long while, you're finally back, Your Highness!"

"C-can't breathe…" she gasped again, vaguely thinking that she should have struggled earlier before allowing herself to be captured. The mentally giving herself a shake, she'd been spending too much time discussing battle tactics with Arbron. Captured. _Honestly._

"Well, yes, I'm really quite touched by this meeting too… After all, we've been worried sick! Did you know Lady Eiko had a premonition-"

"No… seriously… can't b-breathe!" she squeaked, interrupting him.

"Oh, sorry," he said sheepishly, letting go off her.

They stood at the side of her, both bursting to know where she had been and what was going on. She took several deep breaths, stalling for time, trying to come up with a convincing story. After all, she couldn't very well say, 'Actually, I've been training with the guy who tried to kill us".

"I know that you have a lot of questions," said Dagger, trying to sound regal. "But I must ask you not to ask me or harass me for the truth… I… I've been away for a purpose… and… well… I just… needed to get over _th-their_ death…" she let out a sniff, knowing that it was wrong to go gaining pity through such means, but she had no other choice.

She saw Beatrix and Steiner exchanging a look, their faces softening as they always did during such situations, immediately making her feel guilty for tricking them.

"Well… if you're sure what you're doing is really helping, Your Highness…" said Beatrix gently, large hazel eye turning to her.

"Yes, I'm sure," she answered, allowing a small smile to creep up her face when she thought of the future. In the meantime, she was sure both of them would tell the others to lay off. "So," she said briskly. "How has the kingdom been, Beatrix?"

"Everything has been running smoothly," she replied, snapping back to her General-like self, "There has been no trouble in the streets, the citizens are peaceful, taxes have been paid and good relationships are continuing with Lindblum, Burmecia, Dali and so on."

"Wonderful," she said, she was about to dismiss them when her senses perked up. She wouldn't have noticed it before, but after her training, it was easier to pick up things that weren't being mentioned, for example… "How about things inside the castle?" she asked casually.

Beatrix noticeably stiffened before exchanging another look with Steiner whose face had turned into an obvious frown. "Well… there has been this very tiny little annoyance," began Beatrix. "I really didn't want to bother you just as you've come back… but…"

"Go on," encouraged Dagger, narrowing her eyes.

"You've got another suitor," she blurted out.

"What? Again?" she asked incredulously, her anger stirring. One would think that after viciously throwing out multiple digits would be suitors, they would get the hint. All of them, completely idiotic and insensitive, trying to be the gallant hero to the so-called damsel in distress. Not a single one out them paused to think about whether she still felt anything for Zidane. Not a single one out of the fifty three-

"Fifty five, actually," piped up Steiner. "Another one came while you were gone, but we got rid of him."

"Huh?" she said, before realising that she'd been talking aloud. "Then why couldn't you just throw this one out like you did the rest?" she demanded, coming back to her senses.

"We tried, Your Highness," said Beatrix tiredly. "But he's extremely stubborn and absolutely refuses to leave. He arrived two weeks ago and has been working all of us to the bone with his stupid slightly raw salmon for dinner with the exact dashes of seasoning and a bit of asparagus on top, not to mention his idiotic bath with two drops of jasmine oil, another of rose and-"

"What we're trying to say, my Queen," cut in Steiner as Beatrix continued to rant. "Is that his father is the highest Duke in Treno, and he believes that you'll fall for him the moment you see him."

" 'And let's not forget that I want my suit ironed from right to left not up and down'," mimicked Beatrix angrily.

"I'll see him later," said Dagger tiredly, already feeling a headache coming up, finding herself thinking how much easier it was to kill a blood-thirsty monster than it was to find a diplomatic way to get rid of a spoilt brat. "In the mean time…" she added, turning her eyes hopefully to them.

"Will you two train with me?"

……

Dagger stretched experimentally, glad to feel the pain in her joints. Beatrix and Steiner had been startled by her request, but they didn't refuse to comply. They held back at first, but when they saw how she fought, they had no choice but to take her seriously. They were good, she reflected, but not as good as I remembered them to be. They trained for several hours without magic in a purely physical battle until Beatrix reminded her about her suitor.

Which was why she was here now just after her bath, trying to pick a dress that looked like it wouldn't strangle her.

Finally, after much consideration, she grabbed a sleeveless light blue one with no train. Pulling it over herself and adjusting the corset, she let the full skirt swoosh around her ankles and fiddled with the tiny pearls on the square cut collar. To her delight, she found that the corset wasn't nearly as tight as she remembered, months of hard exercise would make you lose weight, she reasoned.

Slipping on a pair of sandals and her usual pearl tiara, she headed toward the guest room where the other fifty-four idiots had stayed. As she approached, she heard yelling.

"How many times do I have to tell you people! My bed must be covered with cerulean blue sheets! What kind of fools are you to give me deep blue! Now get out of sight and get it right this time! And don't forget my mid afternoon snack at two fifteen! And don't you dare use low quality caviar!" snarled a haughty voice.

"Y-yes sir, I'm sorry sir!" squealed a scared looking maid before scurrying off.

Instantly, Dagger felt a huge sense of dislike for the man in that room, treating people like trash in her castle! Determinedly, she marched in, getting ready to give him a piece of her mind.

As she stepped in, she saw a young man of about twenty with his back towards her. He was tall, about slightly over six feet, which was considerably more than her 5'5.

"It's about time you're back!" he growled, still not turning around. "What kind of service does a guest get in this dump? Hurry up with my sheets."

"On the contrary, I believe that you only dismissed my maid a minute ago, I would highly doubt that she'd be back as fast as this," replied Dagger evenly, finding it harder to speak diplomatically and to control her temper than before. "And I don't believe that it's polite for you to refer to my home as a dump, good sir." She couldn't resist adding.

"What do you mean your home?" he demanded. "I'm going to rule this place soon, and I'll have the entire staff replaced. Just who do you think you are anyw-" he stopped as he turned around, taking in the petite, beautiful figure in front of him who was trying desperately not to scowl.

"I, as you ought to know, am Queen Garnet til Alexandros," said Dagger regally, eyeing the man in front of her. He was certainly handsome, with his broad shoulders and tall frame, his deep brown hair had streaks of gold in it and his gray eyes were flecked with blue. However, no matter how good-looking he was, she would never ever let him get even the slightest bit of affection from her. "Also, I do not appreciate the way you are treating my staff."

He got ever his shock and stepped forward confidently, flashing her a smile that showed off his pearly whites. She refused to step back, but let the disgust she felt show openly on her face. "Garnet, darling," he purred.

"Don't call me that."

"Baby, you should be glad to meet me, your knight in shining armor is finally here to rescue you," he continued.

Dagger struggled not to punch him there and then, her fury flared inside her, hating the way everyone thought that she needed to be protected. "Really?" she said through gritted teeth. "I'm afraid I don't see Zidane here. And as I see no reason for your visit, I ask you to leave."

"Honey face, let's not have any pretending around us," he cooed. "I am Duke Thomas d' Bonneville. All women are attracted to me as I know you must certainly be now."

"In case you didn't hear the first time, Bonneville, get out of my kingdom," she hissed, abandoning her diplomatic approach. "I feel nothing for hopeless snobs like you but loathing. I've said it before, my heart belongs only to Zidane."

"Zidane?" he repeated disdainfully. "That riff-raff? My dear, even you know that he's dead and gone. Now don't worry, sweetie, I'm here, so don't be coy."

"Look, you," she growled, restraining herself. "I cannot think of any way to make clearer that I want you as far away from here as possible, so if you had any sense at all, you would leave, and you would leave now."

She prepared herself to forcefully throw him out when something he said stopped her, "Darling, I know you're just shy… but you do know my father don't you? High Duke Rufus Matthew d' Bonneville? The one who I believe is donating a large sum of gil to make orphanages for your kingdom?"

That halted Dagger right in her tracks. She remembered him all right, ever since the attack of Bahamut on the city, many children had been left homeless and parentless, feeling responsible, she had tried to scrape together enough funds to build orphanages for them. Hearing of her plight, the High Duke of Treno (who was every bit as annoying as his son) had come forward. It had taken her months of diplomatic meetings –not to mention stress pills- to convince him that it was a worthy cause. She should have known that there was something else to it.

She hated the smug look on his face as he saw her hesitate, knowing that he had gotten her right where he wanted.

……

"Garnet!" squealed Eiko happily, clinging on to her friend firmly.

"Eiko, Freya, Frately, Quina, Amarant…" gasped Dagger in delight. "You're all here!"

"Dagger," said Freya warmly, stepping forward. "Beatrix sent us a message about your… uh … pest."

"Me off holiday," nodded Quina in agreement. "Hear man no like cooking! Give him oglop stew! If he no like, I eat!"

"Somehow Quina, I doubt he'll taste good," said Dagger with a wry smile.

"Princess," greeted Amarant coolly, even after almost two years, he still called her that. "You've gotten thinner… paler too; I assume you were somewhere dark? It may be just my imagination, but you seem to be holding back slightly."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied just as evenly, cursing his bounty hunter skills. But she couldn't help thinking that he was right, despite the fact that seeing all of them together like that gave her a warm glow, she couldn't help feeling nervous, it reminded her of Epitaphs. If she had been closed off before, it was nothing compared to what she was like now.

"Amarant…" said Frately with a warning tone in his voice; it was obvious he thought that she was still in mourning.

"Anyway," said Freya quickly, wanting to change the subject. "Tell us about him, why can't you get rid of him like the other wannabe's?"

Dagger let out a long heavy sigh. "He's blackmailed me. Not outright of course, just subtly. As long as I can't figure out a way to get rid of him while keeping good relations with his father for the sake of the orphans, he stays."

"I know," piped up Eiko. "Why don't you act like a total slob? He wouldn't want to marry a girl like that, he'd think you weren't lady-like enough."

"Now there's an idea," agreed Freya.

"And let the word get out that the Queen of Alexandria doesn't have manners to save her life?" asked Amarant. "Sorry twerp, but that ain't gonna work."

"Well then, if you're so smart why don't you think of a way yourself?"

"I could definitely-"

"People!" yelled Dagger; losing that already short hold she had on her temper. "Why don't you guys go to the guest rooms? I'm sure you need to rest."

……

For the next week, no brilliant suggestion was produced, and Duke Thomas stayed, bossing the staff around like he owned the place, which he was still firmly convinced that he would one day. Eiko returned to Lindblum as Hilda and Cid were worrying, Amarant needed to go on some trip or other, Freya and Frately to Burmecia to help the rebuilding. Privately, Dagger was glad, she found that the further away she stayed from them, the easier it was not to let them get close to her.

She also didn't need further monitoring of her situation. The only way she knew of to release her increasing frustrations with the spoilt brat was to sneak out in the mornings for training. She had breakfast at the plains of Alexandria as Garland taught her to, the venting out her anger on whatever beast happened to pass by, regardless of whether it was about to attack her or not.

Taking out her Rod about a week after she had returned one morning, about to go out again, she noticed something curious. The handle, which had been smoothed and unmarked before, had something beginning to protrude from the end with the scythe. There were two, and they were several inches long already. Upon closer examination, she saw that it was the heads of two snakes, with tiny rubies for eyes. They were entwining themselves around her Rod, just starting to cross over each other.

Now that she came to think of it, she did vaguely remember feeling hard nubs a few days ago… She was running her fingers up and down its length, admiring the fine craftsmanship when she felt those bumps… but she had been too distracted to notice, because she felt guilty for… for… for what? Then it came to her, she had gone in search of breakfast, when she'd seen a rather scrawny Bandersnatch, it didn't attack her like most of her other victims did, it just stood there, and then began to back away. Her instincts took over and she rushed at it, slashed it twice and watched it bleed to death. She didn't feel remorseful then, instead, she felt an odd sort of glee knowing that she had that kind of power.

Staring at the weapon, she recalled something else…

"_Garnet?_ _Are you paying attention?"_

"_Yes, Doctor Tot."_

"_Good. Now, as I was saying, the tribe of the forgotten summoners used to perform this ritual. It seems rather like synthesizing, but with magic, soul and love of the summoner instead of fire and metal. The summoner has to take two purely magical weapons or items, and then perform a procedure that may take as long as several months, depending on how complicated and powerful the weapons are. Now, it goes like this…"_

As though she were following somebody's instructions, she lay her Rod gently on her bed, then searched for her Whale Whisker, Tiger Racket and … after a moment's hesitation, Vivi's Octagon Staff that had been left in her possession. For some reason, she just wanted the little mage, to in some way, be part of this. Slipping of to the private garden her father had bestowed on her, she arranged them in specific positions, planting the butts firmly into the ground, forming a circle around her. According to Doctor Tot, this allowed the earth magic to flow through them. And since this was where Vivi, her adoptive and biological mother was buried, she figured that it was chock full of magic.

She sat in the middle of the circle, and then focused her mind on the four items surrounding her, trying to remember the chant.

"_Power of Earth, against thy wind,_

_Power of Fire, against thy water._

_I call upon thou,_

_For your strength, I will bow._

_This sacred chant, from thy lips,_

_A song from old,_

_When magic bold,_

_For weapons pure,_

_To heal and cure,_

_To destroy and ravage,_

_Causing ultimate damage._

_For Magic whole,_

_For magic strong,_

_For magic lacking,_

_Right from wrong._

_For power mighty,_

_For power clash,_

_Held together,_

_In thy stash._

_Weapons four,_

_I make thy own,_

_In holy circle,_

_So like home._

_None alike,_

_None the same,_

_None so different,_

_All shalt I claim._

_Too dark, too light,_

_Two black, two white,_

_A substance to fight,_

_A way to defend,_

_An anger to hold,_

_A joy to lend,_

_A hope of told,_

_A fear to send,_

_A fire to burn,_

_A water to quench._

_To hold as one,_

_All this power,_

_For enemy and traitor,_

_To fear and cower._

_May thou harmonize,_

_And join together,_

_To serve you mistress,_

_For now and forever._

_Two Heal, two destroy,_

_To help, to die,_

_To serve thou mistress,_

_For truth, for lie,_

_To serve thou mistress, _

_Until thy death,_

_To give thee might,_

_Wilt thou bequest._

She repeated it over and over again, her voice husky and quivering with some unknown power as she spoke. The four Rods around her began to glow faintly at first, then appeared to pulse. In the distance, she could here other summoners like herself, the mummer of their ancient voices chanting in her ears, pollen and sparkle began to swirl around her in the breeze that she was creating, circling her, leaves and tiny flowers were caught up with it.

She was in a half dreamlike state, unable to be sure how long she'd been sitting there, hours perhaps, when suddenly, beams shot out from her weapons, they headed upwards, and directly above her, they collided into a ball of flame, ice, wind, water and thunder. Dagger felt herself tense, she knew that it was unusual and rare for one to combine white and black magic, and there were bound to be some side effects.

Before she knew it, the ball was gone, instead a long dark shape was spinning to the ground before landing firmly on one end at huge patch of flowers. Immediately, she knew that that was where her original mother lay. She rose without hesitation, walking towards it calmly. She stared at her creation with delight and wonder. It was the length of the Reaper's Rod, the scythe and blue sphere still in place, but along its length, instead of the glossy black, it looked as though white and black had crashed together. Part of it was the former, and the other, the latter. She couldn't help thinking that it looked very like there was a battle between dark and light.

When she looked closely, the original words 'For Death, There Will Be Life' shone as brightly as ever, but underneath it were the words 'But For Life, There Will Be Death.'

She twirled it just like she had the first time she saw it, the balance seemed to have improved, when she swung it, wind came out like it had for the Tiger Racket. The snakes, she noticed, were also a clash of the two colours. She swung it around several times just for the enjoyment, she looked at it intently, before she knew it, she whispered, "The Staff of Hades."

She gazed at her new weapon for a while before returning to her room and setting it carefully in her closet. As she looked at all her expensive gowns, she felt a jolt of surprise. She had been so wrapped up in her own problems and thoughts that she hadn't even realised it. The play was a week away, the members of Tantalus, Vivi's kids, Eiko… everyone would be there… and a certain somebody she didn't even know was alive.

**A/N: Hey people, end of this chapter… I meant to have the play in it, but it just grew sooo… long**.


	13. I Sang Our Song

**Disclaimer: Well… I loathe disclaimers… anyway, I've done 'em so many times, you probably know what I'm going to say. So, why bother?**

**A/N: I know that you people all probably want to kill me right now… but what can I say? This bloody chapter was hard to write. And I'd like to thank _Nappykeety_, right after I read your e-mail, I started writing. True, it took a long time to get out, but your e-mail really helped. Oh, warning! I'm taking the PG-13 rating to the limit now with foul words and sexual hints. There will be no actual sex, (not yet anyway.) just hints.**

"Garnet, darling, I've been trying to find a spare second to talk to you and-"

"You're doing a really good job, but I must be off! We'll do lunch!" she replied, sprinting past him before Duke Bonneville would realize that he'd been given the brush off.

Dagger lifted the many skirts of her pale yellow dress with trumpet sleeves so she could scurry on without hindrance. She was so busy, so many things to do, to arrange, to organize. There was the play, which would be tomorrow, and it would be the first time in months that all of Zidane's old friends and the gang would be together. _Don't think about that_, she chided herself, it made her overly emotional. Besides that, there was the building of the orphanage and a… rather new activity to keep her busy.

She checked the clock on the wall, 11.55 p.m., she was right on time. Bursting into her room, she dove under her bed and snatched up her Staff. She gazed at it fearfully, checking to make sure that it was still in shape. Taking Zidane's dagger that had been left with her ever since she had used it to cut her hair, she slipped past the watch unseen and ran to the Gardens where she had first created the Staff. She ran her fingers along its length like she so often did and bit her lip, it was already starting to get bulgy and a bit out of shape… She had to hurry.

She knelt at the exact center of the circle where she had sat when she first created it. Holding up the dagger, she cut her hand until the wound was deep enough to allow blood to escape. Ignoring the sting, she let the life giving liquid fall steadily onto her Staff. By eerie light of the faint stars, it glowed steadily before fading. The blood that had been on it absorbed. Using her good hand, she buried the butt firmly into the rich, black earth.

Now, she grimaced. It had come to a part she hated. Focusing on the throbbing of her hand, she bit her lip, forcing tears to come out. In order for her weapon to remain the way it was, she had to perform that ritual every night for several months. First by giving bits of herself, the essence of her life (symbolized by blood.), and then bits of her soul. So powerful and complex a combination of weapons had to be maintained that way.

She had promised herself in Garland's cave that she wouldn't cry, but she figured that it really wouldn't matter since she was forcing herself to do so. Even so, she hated the warm salty liquid that ran down her face, reminding her how weak she had been. She let the tears drip on to the Staff for a few minutes, before opening her eyes to see that the tears too, had disappeared. Taking in a deep breath, she began to chant in a low, rather husky voice.

_"Weapon wrought of spirit,_

_Weapon wrought of soul,_

_Weapon wrought of pain,_

_Wilt thou now take thou toll._

_Tears bestowed upon thee,_

_All that is thy agony,_

_Blood of thy life,_

_Brought by happy knife._

_Spell of thy voice,_

_Chant from thy lips,_

_Take hold with iron grip._

_To meld and shape,_

_To destroy and break._

_This be done day and night,_

_By twin moons' waning light,_

_At black of dawn and bright of dark,_

_Wilt I now leave thy mark._

_Magic and summoner,_

_Two of kind,_

_So stay thou shall _

_As mistress bid,_

_Faults no more,_

_Flaws but rid._

_Child of thy blood,_

_Child of thy soul,_

_I gave thou life,_

_I made thou whole,_

_I let thou survive,_

_Shall thou now serve,_

_All thy urge, wilt thou purge._

_Follow thee to death,_

_Follow thee to glory,_

_Follow thee to theft,_

_Thou shall be the pen that writes thy story._

_Thou shall be the club I shall wield,_

_Thou shall be thy mighty shield,_

_Thou shall be the voice of legends told,_

_Now let ye power unfold!"_

(A/N: I'**m cursing this as I write it. I wrote a better one, but I think I left it at my tuition center. I'd rather die than ask that old goat for it back. Sorry if it sucks.)**

Again, images flashed before her eyes, an old man, a middle aged woman, a wrinkled, ancient lady… they were murmuring steadily until it was a thrum in her ears. When her voice that was radiating with an unseen power died, she saw bits of pollen, dust and dew swirling into her Staff, as though it was all being sucked up into a tornado like spiral, the fragments of nature were glinting fairy-like in the night.

Finally, it was done. She felt slightly exhausted, as she always did, but with a great sense of satisfaction. When her weapon was permanently like that, it would let her know. Sneaking back into the castle, she smeared healing ointment onto her cut before flopping down onto her bed, her mind barely registering the fact that the next day, everyone alive who mattered to her would be there.

……

"Queen Garnet! I'm afraid that I must discuss with you about the angle of the band-"

"-would you highness be absolutely certain of the song-"

"Honey, baby, shall we go for a stroll?"

"Is you Majesty sure about-"

"Alright, questions about the play will be handled by I, Adalbert Steiner," said the captain, coming forward grandly. "You are not to bother the Queen," he continued, twitching his head to show her that then was a good time to make a break for it. She grinned inwardly, thinking that maybe Steiner wasn't as blur as he made out to be. She walked away as calmly as possible while Steiner blocked the crowd from trying to follow her. She noticed that he was also rather conveniently pinning Bonneville against the wall. Yep… he wasn't as blur as he seemed.

Another two hours before the play, noted Dagger. She had at first considered going to greet Tantalus, but couldn't bear the thought, at last deciding that it would be easier to wait until Freya and the rest arrived. She trudged up to her room, Yay, she thought sarcastically, time to get dressed. After sinking herself into a bathtub, she opened her closet and stared at row after row of magnificent gowns and finally picked out the one that she had worn after her mother died. The one… that when she had let the see her… Zidane had stared at her with such tender eyes.

_Oh, shut it, _she told herself, mentally hitting her head. Before, she would have needed Beatrix's help to squeeze herself into the corset and dress, but having decided that she didn't want to be hysterically questioned about the faint, white scars over her body, she learnt how to do it herself. Slowly, (and rather painfully.), she pulled on her frock and matching gloves, then put on her white gold tiara and stared at herself in the mirror. She blinked a few times before taking a blue clip and pulling back the ends of her hair like she'd done in the old days.

The entire process of looking presentable to her people had taken about an hour and a half. Enough time for her to go sit on her throne and smile at her subjects. Besides, she mused as she walked out, it would take time for her to creep by-

"Sweetheart, I've been looking for you all day."

Dagger gritted her teeth and resisted the urge to kill herself, or preferably –him-. "So has everyone else," she said pointedly, looking politely but coldly at his handsome face. "And don't call me that."

"Now, now dear," he said, giving a smile that would have melted another girl's heart, but made her feel like throwing up. "Let's not be coy. What say we go watch the riff-raff's play together, hmm? We can sit as King and Queen on the balcony."

She so wanted to kill him.

She wanted to do it so very, very badly.

"I'm afraid that the unfortunate seating arrangements prevent us from doing what would be a delightful experience," she said, trying to inject some sincerity into her voice, her smile making her look like she was having cramps. "Had we known that you were actually going to stay this long, we would, of course have tried to arrange a more convenient seat." Like somewhere in the Forgotten Continent, she added mentally.

"Nevertheless, I insist upon accompanying my future bride there lest one of those grubby little performers harm you," he said, taking her arm.

"I am not you future bride," she said evenly, feeling a migraine coming. "And those people happen to be my friends."

Being dragged along by him, she tried to think of a formal and diplomatic way to pry herself loose. Catching sight of Beatrix, she sent her a look so pathetic, that it would've warmed a heart of stone.

"Your Majesty," she called out, quenching a sympathetic smile. "I'm afraid that I must discuss a private and very urgent matter with you about the… play."

"Of course, General," she replied, a little too happy. "You don't mind, do you Duke Bonneville? Of course you don't," she sprinted towards her before he could stop her.

"What's the matter, Beatrix?" she asked in a mock serious tone as they walked towards their seats.

"I was wondering, my Queen," she said, struggling to keep her face straight. "Of the important matter concerning your preference of the colours of the beads that are to be hung on the draping of your seat. Would you rather have light gold, or deep gold?"

"This is an important matter," replied Dagger in the same tone, ignoring the fact that no one could even see such miniscule decorations, "Of course light gold."

"A wise decision, your Majesty," said Beatrix with a grin, "shall we now proceed towards the play?"

"We shall."

……

She remembered it so well, she thought vaguely as she watched Tantalus perform. It seemed pretty much the same as before, except that this time, she was in the audience and not playing Cornelia. She continued to stare, Ruby made a pretty good Cornelia, she decided, and the weirdo in the cloak was a great Marcus. In fact, he reminded her of… _Stop,_ she commanded mentally, _no point in thinking about it now._ When she had Zidane and Vivi back, she could wallow in it all she wanted.

"As the sun lends me no ear-"

The emotional voice broke through Dagger's thoughts; she shook herself and forced herself to listen. That guy was actually pretty good at making it realistic, she decided. It was almost as if he'd really lost someone he loved dearly, there was so much feeling in it…

"… I plead to the twin moons," said the speaker's melodious and powerful voice. "Bring my beloved Dagger to me!" And with a dramatic gesture, he whipped off his heavy cloak to reveal the same blonde hair that shone in the sun, the same aquamarine eyes that sparkled with joy and hope, and the eternal smile that spoke of unbelievable happiness.

Dagger's heart literally stopped beating for a few seconds. She put her hands on the balcony ledge, gripping it so tightly that her knuckles turned white under her gloves, convincing herself that it wasn't a hallucination. As if following instructions, she turned and ran, cursing Garland a million times over for replacing the weights on her. She wanted to fly towards him as quickly as possible. Sprinting to the door that led outside, she saw Beatrix and Steiner blocking her exit. Giving them both a glare that would've made even the bravest warrior cower, they smiled meekly and pushed the door open.

She shot them a grateful smile before dashing towards the crowd. Pushing her way past people and mumbling hurried apologies; she earned herself many curious looks. She stumbled slightly and to her dismay, the Silver Pendant flew from her neck, the clasp choosing the perfect time to become undone. Her hand flew up to her bare throat as the jewel skidded on the ground, the crowd parted silently to give it way.

Her large brown eyes widened as she took in the situation. From the way the pendant was pointing, the way she had come… her past. There, she saw the grand spire of Alexandria, glistening and mocking her, reminding her of the consequences that she might have to face if she went to such a commoner. But in the opposite direction was the man she loved, her fate written on water, happiness… and most likely… her future_. Choose, _the pendant seemed to hiss. _Take your path where what awaits you is carved upon stone, or the other where nothing is guaranteed and risks seize you at every turn. _

"Garnet sweetie, what are you doing?" came a distinctly whiny voice.

Instantly, she unfroze, throwing off her crown, she ran and flung herself into Zidane's arms. He seemed startled by her eager embrace, but pleased at the same time. Almost blinded by joy, she drew herself close to him, allowing herself to feel the luxury of being in his arms, something that she had dreamed off umpteenth times. On instinct, she began hitting him with her fist; unaware of how strong she was, too caught up in her current emotion (which was anger) to think.

"You took so long to come back," she wailed, still hitting him in a harried mix of ecstasy and bitterness, not noting the look of pain and surprise on his face.

"I'm sorry," he whispered back. "I'm so sorry," he hugged her tightly, not wanting to let go, letting himself drown in the bliss that came after so much torture.

Her shoulders shook with emotion and she stopped pummeling him, sinking into his embrace. They stayed like that until the roar that was the cheer of the crowd brought them back from the land of delight that they had been in. Drawing away slightly, Zidane stared at her with eyes so full of tenderness, he stroked her hair in what was surely, the softest caress that his thief hands had ever made.

"How did you come back?" she asked quietly, looking into his tender eyes.

"I sang our song," he answered. "Every time I thought that I wasn't going to make it… I sang our song."

They looked at the crowd; everyone was clapping and yelling in approval. Dagger saw the entire gang hollering, jumping up and down and expressing their delight. The only face she saw that was dark with fury was the one that she had grown to hate in the past week.

Was that supposed to matter? Nah.

She buried her face into his broad shoulder again. She didn't care. She chose him, and she'd choose him again and again and again. At last, she was really, truly happy.

A tabby cat watched the entire scene with an expression that could only be described as disapproving.

……

"…And then I had to dig my way out of the Iifa Tree," continued Zidane, telling his story to the breathless table of listeners. "It took days, after all, I had no tools, and I was badly hurt. If it wasn't for the water that I'd managed to salvage, I probably wouldn't have survived."

"Didn't you ever just want to give up?" asked Regent Cid. "To let the pain stop?"

"I… Actually, I did want to a few times," admitted Zidane. "But whenever I thought about it, I would hear this beautiful voice," he glanced at Dagger significantly, who blushed. "And I'd remember how badly I wanted to get back together with Dag- I mean… umm… you guys."

"And we really believe that, Zidane," said Freya, the sarcasm dripping from her voice to pool at her feet. "Don't we, Dagger?" she said slyly, raising her eyebrows.

Everyone laughed except for Zidane and Dagger, who just flushed. In order to change the subject, Zidane quickly cast around for a topic and said, "Erm… where's Vivi? I've seen all his kids but I haven't seen him."

The entire table fell silent, looking at Dagger cautiously, lest she burst into hysterical tears. Dagger froze, not sure how she felt. She still had that familiar ache in her heart whenever Vivi was mentioned, but now, her shriveled up soul was ballooning with hope. Zidane was already back, so her work was half-done… just one more step… one more…

She snapped out of her trance, realizing that she'd been staring blankly at the turkey. Everyone was looking at her in concern, except for Zidane, who just looked confused.

"Why don't we go outside, Zidane?" she suggested softly. "I can explain it to you there."

Zidane's eyes opened in shock as her words and actions registered in his mind. "Y-you don't mean to say-" he stuttered.

Dagger stood up silently and took his hand in hers, leading him out the door. They walked in silence towards the docks and sat on the steps. She closed her eyes; it was just like the night Vivi died. The moons were full, water peaceful and sparkling, allowing their reflection to shimmer in ethereal-like grace. As a cooling breeze played with her hair, she opened her eyes and looked at Zidane sadly. He was staring at her, his blue green orbs bright with fear of what she was about to tell him.

"Vivi- … Vivi…" she broke off, trying to control her emotions. _I won't cry_, she thought fiercely, I _promised myself that I wouldn't_. "Y-you weren't there…" she just said, all she could manage without allowing a traitorous quiver to enter her voice.

"When?" he asked in a hoarse whisper.

"About two months ago…" she replied, staring at the calm water. "But… it seems like forever… and only yesterday," she shook her head. "I'm not making sense."

"Fuck," he said viciously, wiping his eyes with his arm. "H-how did it happen?"

"We j-just woke up one morning, a-and all we found was his hat and a note, saying that he was sorry," she said, grief etched over her face. "H-his kids just appeared that day in his room… they were crowded around his h-hat… saying that he was their father."

"I-I've got something in my eye," he muttered, rubbing his eye furiously. "Did he give any sign that he was about to St-Stop?"

"He seemed a little tired," she said sadly, "like he'd lost this kind of glow… But I guess that I didn't really notice 'cause I was still… you know…" she looked at him. "Even so," she continued, letting out a sad laugh, "he was so comforting about you… being… dead…"

He drew his legs up to his chest and gripped his hair. "Crap," he snarled. "Maybe… maybe if I'd been a bit faster… maybe if I hadn't fallen into a coma at Black Mage Village…"

"Don't blame yourself," she said sharply. "He would've hated it, he did so much for us before he left," she paused with a haunted look in her chocolate eyes. "He helped me get along with life… In fact, if it weren't for him, I'd probably be dead by now…"

Zidane stared at her in horror, her words registering in his mind. He moved closer to her and embraced her tightly. She sighed, inhaling his familiar scent. "I guess I owe him more than I could ever imagine," he whispered, "and I can't even thank him now."

She pulled back slightly to look at him, his expression was full of sorrow, pain but mostly… she almost didn't dare to think it… love. Instinctively, like she'd been planning it for a long time, she cupped his face with her gloved hands and pressed her lips to his softly. She could feel him stiffen in surprise before hugging her possessively, leaning into her, kissing her back. She granted his tongue access by opening her mouth, sparks exploding beneath her eyelids at the wonderful feeling of it all, herself caught up in a whirlwind of emotion.

He needed reassurance, and she was willing to give it, their tongues battling in a dance of passion. She felt her back pressed against the ground, dimly realizing that somehow he had gotten on top of her, with one hand around her waist and the other tangled in her long hair. She had both hands playing with his silky blonde locks. He started to move from her mouth, tasting her skin. She squeaked as he sucked at a sensitive spot on her neck. She kissed his nose lightly, her hands roaming, her legs between his when suddenly-

"Garnet, honey? Are you there, my sweet?"

Dagger gasped and broke away from Zidane, who was looking very disgruntled. Scrambling to her feet and nearly tripping because of her three-inch high heels, she tried to stand up. Zidane was making a hurried effort to straighten his rumpled clothes. Duke Bonneville came with a torch, shining the bright light onto the very flushed couple. Dagger blushed under his scrutinizing gaze, very aware of how the both of them looked. Her hair was mussed and her lips bruised, she noticed that the back of her dress was unzipped (it seemed that Zidane had been busier than she thought.) and a reddish purple love bite was forming at the base of her neck. Zidane was looking worse, if possible.

"Garnet?" he squawked. "What _are _you doing?"

"Who's he?" hissed Zidane.

"Duke Bonneville," she said, trying to grasp at her last rags of dignity. "What are you doing here?"

"I believe the question is, what are _you_ doing here with this riff-raff?"

Garnet glared at him angrily. "This is Zidane Tribal. The man who saved Gaia," she said pointedly. "The one I told you about." She hoped that he was getting the silent message she was mentally transferring, _I love this man so get your freaking self back to your little mansion in Treno. I need to get back to business._

"Ah," he said, giving Zidane a look that most people used for a particularly disgusting slug. "_You_ are Zidane."

"Yeah," he replied, glaring at him. "I am, now who the hell are you and what are you doing here?"

"I," he said grandly, drawing himself up, "Am Duke Thomas d' Bonneville, son of Rufus Matthew d' Bonneville, High Duke of Treno."

"Never heard of you," said Zidane flippantly, taking Garnet by the hand protectively.

He looked very insulted.

"I am here," he continued stiffly, "to ensure that nothing was happening to my future bride."

Zidane snapped back in shock and stared at Dagger, gripping her hand so tightly that it started to hurt. She glared at him with the fury of a thousand suns.

"I – am – not – your – future – bride," she growled dangerously. "To me, you are not different from the 50 other suitors, okay? I've told you I don't like you, I certainly don't love you and I'm sure that I never will!"

"You're in denial, sweetie," he cooed, moving forward to stroke her. "You know that you like me-"

He broke off when he saw Zidane's dangerous expression as he moved in front of Dagger.

"Listen here you little twerp," he threatened. "If you don't get the fuck out of here, I'll-"

"Zidane, I don't need protection," snapped Dagger, feeling offended. She hadn't endured countless of hours of training just to be treated like a little girl. She looked pleadingly at him to keep him quiet. "Duke Bonneville," she said imperiously, "I formally request you, as Queen of Alexandria and as your hostess for you to return to you quarters."

He looked at her resentfully, but proper etiquette demanded that he obey, that, and Zidane's weapons were glinting wickedly. "Just remember, my love, being with this sort of ragamuffin will bring you no good." With that, he turned heel and left, his nose in the air.

Dagger waited till he was gone before explaining the whole situation to a seething Zidane. "… So you see, if I force him to leave, his father will withdraw his contribution to the orphanages, and all that work would've been for nothing!"

"You're really stuck, aren't you?" he asked in frustration.

Dagger nodded.

"This sucks."

"Yep."

"So…," he drawled. "What was that I heard about suitors?"

"Oh… umm… well…" she stuttered. "You know, there were a few here and there…"

"A few?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, she thought she detected a hint of jealousy in his voice. "What happened to over 50?"

"Well… erm… a few is 50," she mumbled, staring at a pebble near her foot. Quickly, she sat down, hoping to stop further questions and to shut him up. "But Steiner got rid of them."

That didn't work.

He sat down with her and gave her his trademark lopsided smile that had made many girls' heart melt, including hers. "So… we're alone again…" he said suggestively. "Shall we proceed?"

Dagger reddened and slapped him lightly on the arm. "Shut it Mr. Happy Hands," she said, pointedly zipping up the back of her undone dress before kissing him quickly on the cheek. She pointed to the obvious hickey she had, "I've already got enough to explain."

Zidane laughed and put his arm around her, drawing her close. She sighed happily before laying her head on his broad shoulder. They remained in that position, arms around each others' waists and staring out at the lake.

About half an hour later, Zidane asked hesitantly. "Dagger? What happened between us? What are we now?"

She didn't reply.

Zidane looked down at her, and then realized that she'd fallen asleep. "Damn," he swore under his breath, before smiling to himself, his heart light. She'd made all the torture that he had been through to come back worth it. Gently, he picked her up and cradled her (It was a good thing the weights could only be felt by the one carrying them.), bringing her to her room. Carefully, he lay her on her bed, pulled the covers over her slim form and brushed a few strands of her hair away.

"G' night, Dagger," he whispered, stroking her head lovingly.

When she heard the door close softly, she opened her eyes and hugged herself happily; feeling like the giggly teenager that she had thought was forever lost to her. But his question echoed in her head, haunting her.

……

"Mmm… I mean stop, Zidane, stop! Lord that feels good… no, that's not what I meant, stop!"

She sighed as Zidane reluctantly halted nuzzling her. It wasn't that she didn't love what he was doing, but they were at the breakfast table for Alexander's sake! Beatrix cleared her throat awkwardly while Steiner just snarled. Zidane grinned at the boyishly.

"Your Highness," said Beatrix, patting Steiner on the arm to calm him. "Most of the affairs in the kingdom are going smoothly but one. I believe it would be wise to turn you attention to it as soon as possible."

"Huh?" said Dagger, feeling distracted, most likely due to the fact that Zidane had taken one of her hands and was rubbing it softly under the table.

"Bonneville!" said Beatrix. "That little brat went to his room last week in a storm of rage and broke almost everything in it! My Queen," she continued, taking deep breaths, "I was hoping that when he saw Zidane, he would understand and leave, but it has just made him more determined! This can't go on, he sent one of the maids into hysterics yesterday!"

"He's a stuck up pompous pig," announced Eiko, "But on the lighter note, Dad gave me his newest invention! The first ever video camera-y thing that runs on mist! It can record what people do, like just now, when Zidane was feeling up Dagger."

"Eiko!" yelled the both of them indignantly.

"You want to see? AAIIIEEEEE!" she had held up a fairly large, boxy machine before quickly hiding it when Dagger lunged at her.

Dagger sat back in her chair after successfully erasing the video Eiko had made, the latter had decided to run while her new toy was still in one piece.

"I don't know what to do," admitted Dagger. "I'll go and try to talk to him later to make him realize that he has less than no chance with me."

"Good," said Zidane firmly. "And I'm coming."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

"No, I'm not and that's final!" said Zidane grumpily. Then, what he had just said dawned upon him. "Damn," he grumbled, "you tricked me."

"Zidane, I'm not a baby," said Dagger firmly. "You don't need to walk me through every step of my life."

"But- but what if he tries something on you?" he spluttered. "And you won't be able to defend yourself and-"

"I can too defend myself," she protested. "Besides, I don't want you to hold my hand in every little thing I do."

"But I like holding your hand," said Zidane slyly, making her flush. "And you're not going there alone-"

She sighed in exasperation. "There are two ways this is going to end. One, you'll win after we argue ourselves hoarse, and as you come with me to talk to him, you'll end up beating him to a pulp. Thus, I will be exceedingly annoyed at you and won't speak to you. Or two, you give up right now and we can take time to ourselves in the gardens before I go talk to him."

"What kind of time?" asked Zidane, raising his eyebrows. Beatrix rolled her eyes and dragged and open-mouthed Steiner away.

"You'll see," she replied, feeling a rush of pleasure that he found her so attractive.

"Fine, you win," he said grudgingly. "Now about that time you promised me…"

Dagger grinned before quickly checking to make sure the room was empty and kissed him firmly on the lips.

……

Dagger slowly applied some gloss to her lips in hopes of hiding the swelling. She stared at herself in the mirror and adjusted her scarf. She didn't particularly like scarves, but it hid the love bites that Zidane had made around her neck and shoulders. The long flared sleeves of her white dress hid any bruises that could have been on her arms due to any… eagerness that afternoon. She slipped on a pair of sandals and brushed imaginary lint off the hem of her ankle length skirt. Sighing, she began to look for him.

When he wasn't found in the guest room, outside nor the dining room, Dagger gritted her teeth in frustration, it was almost as if he deliberately _wanted_ to annoy her by not being found. She certainly wouldn't have put it past him. Finally, as she walked down one of the numerous hallways, she saw a maid who told her that she had seen him heading in the general direction of the old libraries. Hastily, she ran off and opened the thick wooden door slowly.

He was standing inside, running his fingers over the spines of the old books, an expression of great distaste on his face.

"Duke Bonneville," said Dagger, quelling the urge to tell him to get his dirty fingers off her beloved books.

"Darling, finally here to see me, are you?" he asked, turning around with his usual arrogant smirk in place.

"Yes, and don't call me that," she said, blenching her fists. "I wish to discuss a matter of great importance with you."

"If it's about begging for my forgiveness for even being close to that peasant, you may have to follow a few requests of mine to earn it," he said haughtily, a hungry look in his eyes.

"No," she snapped, "I haven't come to do that. Far from it. I want you to leave."

This remark startled him, but in a blink of an eye, he was composed again. "Baby, you know that you want me. Every woman wants me. So let down your silly little defenses and false loyalties, and just do what I know you've been longing to do since you first met me."

_You mean kill you?_ She thought wryly. "I'm afraid that you have a false impression of what I want and what I don't, Duke. As you can see, Zidane is back. I do not believe that there is any reason as to why you should prolong you visit."

"I don't believe this!" snarled Bonneville, for the first time, letting his dignified front drop. "I have never been denied before! You don't know what you're doing!"

"There's a first time for everything," she replied coolly. "And I do know what I'm doing. I'm saving us both the embarrassment of a further confrontation."

"No!" he growled, stepping forward and pushing her against the wall roughly. She stiffened, wondering whether she should fight back. She heard a gasp, unsure whether it had escaped from her own lips. "I can't believe it! I won't believe it!"

"Believe it, Bonneville," she said icily. "Now release me. This is hardly how the son of the High Duke of Treno should act."

"No," he said again, a strange glint in his eyes, "I've been waiting too long! I won't let you slip away!"

Before she could comprehend what was happening, he had forced his lips upon hers, his body pressing hers tightly so she couldn't move, one hand holding her arm to ensure she didn't escape and the other already roaming over her body.

For a few seconds, Dagger was too stunned by his actions to move. Sure, he was an idiot, but for him to act this way was unthinkable! She was brought back to the present by the feeling of him viciously unzipping her gown and his other hand fingering her breast. Immediately, she struggled, for the first time bleakly realizing how strong he was. She had never suspected he would have learnt any art of attack or self-defense. Damn, she had just broken the second golden rule in Garland's book.

_Always expect the unexpected._

Rule number one?

_Never show mercy._

Desperately, she tried to scream, only succeeding in making muffled shrieks as his mouth was still over hers. His hands were pulling against the fabric of her dress violently, ripping the delicate seams and material, revealing her bra. She sought to lift her knee, preferably to kick him where it hurt (ahem.), but whether coincidentally or intentionally, his 160 pounds was pinning her thighs, rendering her legs above the knee immobile. He was literally ripping the dress off her.

But as for her calves, feet and ankles however…

Garland's battle tactics came into her mind. Freeing her ankle, she hooked it around his and tugged, causing him to fall, but his hands were still fastened around her, pulling her along with him. Quickly, before he could roll on top of her, she stood up and backed away to get a better view of the situation. He came to his feet, and advanced on her, obviously intending to get what he had come for.

She leapt and twirled herself, stretching her legs so that they connected with his shoulder and neck. He stumbled, surprised by her. At once, she flipped over into the air to avoid him, lunging out a leg to hit him firmly on the back, successfully making him fall on his front and skid towards the wall. Quickly, she somersaulted so she wouldn't so she wouldn't land on her head. Again, he struggled to his feet; she dropped down to slide towards him, intending to trip him again, the slippery floor adequate for her purpose. Surprisingly, he sidestepped in time. She leapt up, wondering how to deal with him.

Abruptly, the door burst open, Zidane rushed in, his aquamarine eyes frantic and blazing with fury. Shocked, he took in the scene before him, and with a murderous growl, leapt towards Bonneville to begin an all-out brawl.

Steiner and Beatrix came in seconds later, both looking at Dagger with an expression similar to Zidane's. For the first time, she looked down at herself and realized what Bonneville had done. Her gown was completely unzipped, the square cut neckline torn along one side to the waist, one of the flared sleeves gone with it, fully exposing one side of her body and a large part of her undergarments. Another side of her skirt was ripped from the bodice, hanging loose and showing her underwear, upper thigh and hip.

Averting his eyes in embarrassment, Steiner had gone to join Zidane, whether to help him pummel their victim, or to separate the two fighters, Dagger couldn't tell. Beatrix ran towards her and blocked her from the view of the males. Minutes passed before the confusion stopped. Steiner, after getting a few good punches, had managed to stop Zidane from killing Bonneville. He up righted the latter none too gently while Zidane stood back, seething, a bruise forming on his right cheek, but this was minor compared to the damage his opponent had suffered.

"What the fuck did you do to her?" he roared.

"I was claiming what was rightfully mine," he said, calm for a man with a broken nose, black eyes and bleeding lip.

"You were freaking sexually assaulting me, you pervert!" screamed Dagger, pushing Beatrix aside. "You molested me! Tried to rape me!" She then noticed Zidane gaping at her, staring at her body openly. Flushing furiously, she crossed her arms over her chest.

"It's only rape if you didn't want it," he answered, smug as Zidane's mouth fell open in disbelief. "And you wanted it."

"You stinking bastard!" she shouted, advancing on him angrily. "You t-touched – fondled me-" she choked, seeming humiliated at being violated and beside herself with rage at the same time, crossing her arms around herself even tighter. "You fucking tried to rape me you slime bag-"

"Language, Garnet," he interrupted smoothly. "I'm still your guest, and my father's still donating."

Garnet stopped for a few moments before looking at him coldly. "Normally," she said in a voice of suppressed anger, "One, even a noble, who forces himself upon a member of the royal family will either be thrown into the dungeon for life or be hanged. You may be an exception. I will allow you to return to Treno in disgrace and permanent banishment from my kingdom in order to maintain a good relationship with you father."

There was a flicker of fear in his eyes as the sentences were mentioned, but a second later it faded. "You have no proof." He said simply.

"What?" they asked at the same time.

"You have nothing more than your word," he continued with a smirk. "You have no impartial and unbiased witnesses, therefore you have no proof. For all one knows, this could merely be a clever way to get rid of me."

Dagger felt like killing him.

He'd gotten her, _again._

Zidane slammed his fist against the bookcase in frustration, making it shake and wobble. Suddenly, a little figure tumbled out of one of the shelves.

"AAIIEEE!" she screeched.

"Eiko?" gasped Dagger.

"You piece of scum!" she shrieked at a staring Bonneville. "I happen to be the daughter of Regent Cid. I'm from Lindblum and am an impar- impar… Whatever observer! I saw everything!"

"You're just a child," he said calmly. "And everyone knows that you are good friends with the queen and the peasant. Your word hardly counts for anything."

"Oh yeah?" she said triumphantly. "Then how 'bout this?"

She held up the video recorder and flicked on the switch.

"_No," hissed the tiny image of Bonneville, pushing Dagger against the wall…_

She paused it and smirked.

Bonneville struggled towards her but was held back by Steiner.

"You've got a choice, Bonneville," said Dagger. "Either you follow our terms and leave with your life, or be sentenced."

He stood like a statue and turned white beneath the blood on his face before storming out of the room. All of them breathed a sigh of relief. Beatrix and Steiner ran to get Dagger a robe.

Zidane stepped forward to embrace her, and she melted into his arms. With his still tightly wrapped around her, she said into his ear. "You were following me."

"Huh?"

"You followed me when I went to talk to him."

He drew back, allowing her to see the anger, worry and concern reflected in his eyes. "It's a bloody good thing I did!" he said. "If I hadn't come in time, who knows what he could've done to you! I mean, look at you right now!" he flushed deeply.

Dagger folded her arms across her chest again. "I was taking care of myself just fine!"

"And you did such a good job just now!"

"He caught me by surprise, that's all! Eiko, wasn't I doing a-" she broke off in horror to what had just occurred to her.

Eiko was viewing the tape she had recorded on the tiny screen, frowning in confusion. Her eyes widened at one part and stared at Dagger in shock.

She had seen her fight.

**A/N: Thank god! I'm finally done. This was sooo freaking long! Hah, 6986 words! Sorry for leaving you lot at a cliffhanger… but I really didn't know what to write. Bad news… I've only thought out my story until there, I'm not sure how it's going to go on until I get this great fat burst of inspiration or something. I know that you guys wanna kill me, but have mercy! I'm horrendously busy and I need to get ready for a presentation at the end of the month! Wish me luck! (I'll need it.) Anyway, on to review replies.**

**Oh, btw, I know that my ancient language with all the 'thee' and 'thou' are wrong, but do me a favor and ignore it.**


	14. Home and Back Again

**A/N: Okay, there've been some questions as to how Eiko got into the library and not get spotted by Bonneville. Sorry, I should've explained that earlier. Well, I wanted it to be like, you know, she was wandering around the castle, playing with her new camera, and she hears someone coming and decides to play a game. (You know how little kids are. So, she climbs up into a book case, because I'm imagining just a few dusty old tomes scattered here and there, and she peeked her camera out of a crevice in the wood or something.**

**Another matter I need to address, like, didn't Eiko notice how Dagger was fighting the first time? Okay, I guess I should've explained this as well, anyway, she was dead scared for Dagger, and probably about to leap to her defence, then she saw her put up a fight. She kept on filming, not really thinking, cause, I mean like when you're scared, you don't really think right? So, when all the drama was over, she realised that something was wrong with the picture. So, she checked the camera again and it dawned on her.**

**Disclaimer**: **I own nothing.**

Dagger pulled on her orange jumpsuit and brushed her hair with amazing speed. Right after Eiko had given her that look in the library, the 'Tell me what the hell is going on before I show the others what happened' look, she'd excused herself and ran to her room to make herself decent. Zidane, Steiner and Beatrix, assuming that she probably needed space, had left her at that.

She bit her lip and felt like screaming. She truly didn't know what to do. Nobody was supposed to find out yet! Nobody! It was supposed to be kept in the dark until she had brought Vivi back! _I have no choice_, she decided inwardly. Making her way silently to where she instinctively knew Eiko was going to be, (call it a Summoner's bond) she found herself at the Gardens that had been given to her by her father. Sure enough, the blue haired figure was standing there, staring down at a grave.

She could tell that Eiko sensed her presence even though she didn't turn around, it was by the stiffening of her shoulders and the set of her jaw. After a heavy and awkward silence, she just said very simply, "Tell me."

Dagger's eyes darkened at the tone of her voice, she could tell that something was bothering her companion, she was worried for something, but she couldn't quite say what. "Turn around, Eiko," she said finally, in a voice of steel.

Slightly disconcerted, she obeyed, never having heard such a tone from Dagger before.

"What I'm going to tell you now, will _not_ leave this garden," she said firmly.

"I can't promise you that," replied Eiko expressionlessly. Before Dagger could say anything, she quickly added. "I know something's been going on, I know you haven't been mourning and all that crap! I can tell these things, Dagger! You didn't learn how to bloody fight like that by sitting around and contemplating the meaning of life!"

"What I've been doing, I've been doing for all of us," said Dagger, trying to stay calm.

"I don't know what you've been up to, but it isn't good!" yelled Eiko. "You disappear suddenly for months, you come back thin and pale, you draw away from us! You think I haven't noticed? I may be a child, but I'm not blind!"

"Do you really believe that you know so much?" shouted Dagger, beginning to lose her temper. "You don't have the faintest inkling of what I've been going through!"

"Then why don't you bloody tell me?" screamed Eiko. "You're all holed up, Steiner and Beatrix keep saying how strange you're acting, you've abruptly appeared with fighting skills that even Zidane probably couldn't top and-"

"Fine!" she yelled angrily, the stress and anger finally getting to her. "You really want to know what's been going on? Fine! I'll tell you then! Ever since I've left the castle, I've been training with Garland, yes, the evil psycho who tried to murder all of us who's supposed to be dead! I've been pummeled into pulp day after day after day! And do you know why! Because I just want this one person, this one damn person to come back! I want Vivi back!" she took a deep breath, her face was flushed and her chest heaving. She looked and Eiko's stunned face and continued. "And if I have to go to a demented ninny to learn to do so, then so be it!"

"You're joking," whispered Eiko after a tense silence. "Please tell me you're joking."

"No," she said, feeling strangely empty, aware that if Garland were there, he would've been furious with her. **Rule number 4: Never lose your temper, it only leads to mistakes.**

"You aren't going back there."

"Yes, I am," she countered. "And nobody's going to stop me."

"For Madeen's sake! Listen to yourself!" hissed Eiko. "You think that we don't care about you? We've been worried sick! You know why? Because I had a premonition!"

"What?" said Dagger confusedly, the stubborn look gone from her face.

"A foretelling of the future, Summoners get it sometimes," said Eiko, dismissing it with a wave of her hand. "You were in trouble, something dark was about to happen and someone kept trying to stop it. I didn't get it at first, but now, now that I've hear this… this insanity! I can tell, any idiot can tell, that what you're doing is obviously part of it!"

"It's not insanity!" she protested. "I want my friend back, is that so much to ask?"

"If you're asking from Garland, it is!"

"Basically, you're telling me to stop."

"Yes!"

"And I'm telling you that that is _not_ happening!"

"Garland has obviously twisted your mind!" said Eiko fiercely, trying to make her see sense. "He's using you for his own evil bidding! Don't you get it? He's controlling you!"

"For you information, he hasn't done one thing to me except help me get nearer to reaching my goal!"

"I don't care, you're stopping this nonsense right now!" she shouted, stamping her foot childishly.

"Dammit! Don't you care about Vivi at all?" she yelled back. "Don't you give a-"

She stopped speaking because of the look on Eiko's face. It was one that should never have been on a child so young, a mix of bitterness, anger and overwhelming sadness all rolled into one. Her horn began to grow, and she Tranced.

Eiko raised her hands and flecks of lights gathered until it became a huge ball of fire, Dagger crouched into a defensive position in case she decided to attack her. Instead, she turned towards the forest near the castle and flung it there, letting it land with a huge explosion. She gave Dagger a look that almost made her want to back away before letting the Trance wear off.

"Don't you dare say that," she whispered dangerously. "Don't you dare even try to imply that I didn't care for Vivi, because I did… more than you'd ever know."

"What d'you mean?" asked Dagger nervously.

"Do you really need me to spell it out?" she shrieked, seeming to be on the verge of losing control. "I loved him! I loved that mage! I loved everything about him, the tilt of his hat, the glow of his eyes, the-"

She stopped speaking suddenly, as though she were afraid that she'd said too much.

"How could you?" choked out Dagger. "You're a child, do you even know the meaning of love?"

"Do you, Dagger? Does anyone?" asked Eiko bitterly. "Love knows no age. I loved him."

"But-"

"Think of my life, Dagger. I've always had it in such a light note, haven't I?" said Eiko with a laugh that didn't suit her features. "I lost my parents when I was but a baby. I had only my grandfather who died several years after, then, I was taken in by moogles. I know that you lost you parents as well," she added, looking up. "But tell me, did you live in wasteland that was once your home? Did you stay there every single painful day, remembering how everything that mattered was snatched away from you? You wouldn't understand, Dagger," she said, shaking her head. "You had the bliss of being ignorant. You didn't have to remember.

"Then, all of you came along," she continued. "I saw Zidane, true, I did have a crush on him, but I never wanted to admit to myself that I had no hope with him. I wanted to believe that he'd always be there for me, that I would never have to be alone again. I guess that I never realised how the best thing was already in front of me… Vivi…"

Dagger stared at her, she seemed lost in thought now. "When none of you were paying attention, he talked to me, we played games, he told me about his life, and I told him about mine. We had a connection, I suppose, I just never understood, being too wrapped up in my own little world… There was one night when I did get and inkling of what was to be, we were in the Forgotten Continent… it was freezing, and I was far from used to the temperature. At night, he would always come over to me with a blanket in hand, and he'd listen to me chatter about everything and nothing.

"I figured it out later on, that this was the one person who understood me. He alone knew what would make me smile, what to say, and when not to speak. I adored his awkward little ways, and every time I was with him, I'd feel that finally… finally I wouldn't be alone. Then, he was torn from me, nobody much paid attention to how I felt, all of you supposed that I was a child who wouldn't understand what Death meant, it's laughable really."

Dagger glanced down, speechless.

"I've killed Dagger, for all my youth, for all the battles I've been in, for all my power. All of you seem to forget, I've killed, I've helped to kill. I'm far from innocent and mindless. Vivi understood that."

She looked at Eiko, noting bleakly that it wasn't right for one who was so young to have to endure so much, to speak like that. Only then did she really see the façade that she'd been putting on as the annoying happy kid.

"I think that it's safe to say that I want Vivi back more than anyone else, but I don't want him back through a way that I know would revolt him," her purple blue eyes bore into Dagger's own soft brown ones. "We Summoners have a saying. Do you remember it? 'Heal the wounded, Cure the sick, but let the dying rest'."

Dagger nodded numbly, the words seeming strangely familiar. At last, she found her voice. "I'm not giving up now, Eiko," she said quietly. "I understand you better now, but I'm not giving up," there was a fierce glint in her eyes as she looked at the younger girl. "I've been through too much, I just hope that you can understand that."

"No, Dagger, I can't," said Eiko curtly. "But I know that I can't make you stop, so just do what you want. But… be careful…"

With that, she brushed her glistening eyes on her sleeve and left.

Dagger groaned and sat on the ground, thinking about how messed up things were. If Eiko were to tell anyone about this, there was sure to be one heck of a hullabaloo.

She heard a crunch beside her.

Immediately, she stood up and turned around, there was Zidane, his eyes flaring with barely controlled rage.

"You heard," she said simply.

"Yes," he answered in the same tone.

They stared at each other, Dagger braced herself for what she was sure to be unpleasant.

"You- she- … how… you- Garland!" he spluttered. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. "You- When? _Why!"_ he asked desperately.

"After Vivi's funeral," she answered quietly, knowing that it was best to just stay calm. "He approached me, offered me a way to bring you and Vivi back, I agreed. The rest… I believe that you have some idea."

"B-but! How could you positively be so… so stupid!" he shouted furiously.

"Oh, I'm sorry that if it's stupid that I want one of my friends back!" she said, her nerves already frayed. "Look! I've already had this damn conversation with Eiko, and I'm not going to have one with you! You can't control what I do, or what I choose to do! So this is none of your bloody business!"

"It _is_ my bloody business if it involves a bastard who tried to take destroy Gaia!"

"I won't and can't take this anymore!" she screamed, running out of the Gardens away from him.

Before, Zidane would easily have been able to catch up with her, now, he could barely keep her in sight as she rounded the halls and corridors. He arrived out of breath in front of her room to find her holding up a long black and white staff, atop it was a blue sphere that looked vaguely familiar. She ripped the Alexandrian pendant off the necklace that she'd been wearing and gripped it in her hand. Zidane stood still, unsure of what she was about to do. Fingering a rather large dent at the base by the scythe, she thrust the jewel into the hole. There was a huge flash of light before the metal writhed on her staff, molding so that the jewel fitted it perfectly.

With a look at Zidane, she Teleported away… and…

She was gone.

Dagger's mind whirled as she landed on the stone floor of her room in Garland's lair. She sat on her bed and gazed at her staff, unsure of what she had just done. She had noticed the hole there a while ago, and it had occurred to her once or twice to put the jewel in, but she hadn't unsure of what the two powers would do together. It was already bad enough that she'd mixed black and white magic together, but to add the jewel into the mix? That was nothing short of reckless! She didn't know why she'd done it… to prove a point to Zidane… she supposed.

She just stayed there, holding up her staff and examining it. The snakes were still there, their ruby eyes glinted up at her, and so was the clash of white against black. Suddenly, the door to her room opened, and Arbron came in, looking impassively at her. She looked up at him and thought she could see a hint of joy in his eyes.

"I'm back," she said easily.

"I know that," he replied before taking in her weapon. He breathed in sharply. "What did you do to it?"

"This?" she held it to him so that he would have a better look. "I … altered it… summoner tradition."

"Garland isn't going to be happy," he said pointedly.

"Screw him," she answered. Then she got up and took out her fighting outfit from her closet. "Let's fight."

Arbron raised an eyebrow but nodded with a grin as she entered the bathroom to change.

"Dagger," he called through the door. "Welcome back."

……

The scene that Zidane was now facing was far from pretty. Steiner was hyperventilating, Beatrix was murderous, Freya and the rest were stunned. Ironically, only Eiko seemed calm.

"I knew that there was something wrong with her," said Amarant.

"Wow, thanks for telling us now," said Freya sarcastically.

"We have to do something!" growled Beatrix. "Send out search parties to scour the Mist Continent!"

"How you know Queen not in other continent?" Quina demanded.

"Teleportaion can't bring you across other continents," said Zidane wearily.

"Her Majesty is in danger!" yelled Steiner. "That low life piece of scum must have altered her mind! He's controlling her! He's making her do this against her own will! He-"

"Far from it," said Eiko bluntly. "She's doing it because she _wants _to."

"Why you little-"

"She's right," said Beatrix, "We should have realised that something was going on. Remember how good she was when she wanted us to train with her? The both of us could barely keep up."

"There's no point analyzing the should haves," said Freya, "The real question is, _what do we do now?"_

"Simple," said Zidane grimly. "We find the bastard and kill him for once and for all. Maybe that'll shake some sense into her."

"Think for a moment," interrupted Amarant. "What if the psycho really is helping her? What if he's teaching her how to bring the dead back to life?"

"Does it really matter?" asked Eiko. "She's hardly even the Dagger we love anymore. She's been so strained and stony lately, like she doesn't want any of us near her. He's killing her, not physically, but mentally and spiritually!"

"He isn't doing her any good," declared Zidane. When all eyes were on him, he ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I saw her just before she left. She was holding this Staff, it looked… well… I can't really describe the way it looked. That isn't important. But the feeling I got from it, when I looked at it, I could sense the turmoil, like there was a fight going on. And… I didn't mean to mention this, but there was this blue sphere on top of it."

"What so special?" asked Quina. "Is good food?"

"Hardly," said Zidane with a grim laugh. "I remember why it looked so familiar. It contains the blue light that was in Branbal."

"You mean that blue stuff that the Genomes kept staring at?" asked Beatrix.

"Yep."

"You think she realised it?" wondered Freya.

"Who knows?" said Amarant icily. "The thing is, that blue glowing gunk obviously plays a part in Garland's sick plan, and I'm betting my new claws that it isn't good."

……

"_What did you do to it!"_ hollered Garland, making Dagger cringe as he gazed disbelievingly at her staff. Arbron gave her an almost sympathetic look.

_Almost._

"Umm…" she tried, racking her brain for an explanation. Truth be told, she never really did consider Garland's reaction. "An old summoner ritual?"

Garland stared at her, so she used it as an opportunity to continue before he started shouting again.

"See, I mixed two white weapons and another black one, and I kind of got that," she quickly added as he started to open his mouth. "But I swear, the two snakes were already there before I did anything!"

Garland shut his mouth and looked at her strangely. "Snakes?"

She nodded and pointed to the base.

Garland examined them with an unreadable expression, then he checked the staff over again. He frowned at the new silver words that was on its surface, and at the violent clash of dark and light. After what seemed like forever, he handed it back to her.

"We'll begin studying magic now," said Garland calmly, as though the confrontation that they'd just had hadn't even happened.

"Huh?" said Dagger. "Just like that?"

"You're ready for it," he answered. "Your physical strength will be able to balance with your magical one when I'm true with you. Soon, you'll be able to do what you came here for."

She felt a flare of hope in her heart.

He looked back at Arbron and beckoned him over. "I'm afraid that he isn't particularly skilled with magic though," said Garland. "So you'll be fighting against creatures most of the time."

Dagger nodded, barely able to contain her excitement.

"Now, this is what I want you we are going to do," he instructed as they walked towards the dome for training. "So far, you know only Healing Magic and Summoning, I want you to learn Black as well."

"What?" she said in disbelief. "I'm a White Mage, I can't-"

"If I say so, it can be done," said Garland firmly. "I have yet to finish. As you are unable to do Black Magic, you'll be combining your Eidolons with the different skills. For example, Ifrit and Firaga, you'll need to learn how to combine them so that the damage that can be done will at the very least triple when you summon him."

"Oh…" she muttered, unsure of what to say.

He opened the strong doors and let them in. It was the same bright field that she had first seen when she had come, in the middle of it was a single Dragon.

From the control panel, she saw Garland signal her to summon something before it attacked her. Feeling rather worried as she hadn't summoned _anything_ for a long time, she waved her Staff about and called,

"_Breathtaking beauty of frost and cold,_

_Come to thee as has been told,_

_Follow thy summons, follow thy plea,_

_Come to your mistress, _

_Come to me!"_

With a huge gust of wind and snow, Shiva, Goddess of Ice, emerged from the ground, the place she stood freezing instantly. Whirling her hands, she pointed at the Dragon and attacked, allowing sharp glaciers to fall violently on it before disappearing in a tornado of snowflakes. When everything cleared up, Dagger looked over, the monster keeled, but just barely. The power of the Goddess had hardly reached a damage of 3000 despite the fact the dragons were weak against ice.

Garland appeared before her, and he didn't seem too happy.

"That was pathetic," he snarled. "What went wrong? Even that little girl could have done more damage than that!"

Dagger bristled, "I'm a little rusty," she snapped. "I need practice!" She decided not to mention that that single summons had already left her weak and shaky.

"There's something wrong…" he mumbled, "Something I'm missing…"

"I just haven't practiced!" she protested. "I'll get better!"

"Hardly, my ever foolish pupil," he replied. "Almost two years ago, you used your magic just about everyday, and it was barely any better than that attempt before!"

She opened her mouth to answer back, but snapped it shut when she realised that he was right.

"Have you never wondered why the little girl's summons were always more powerful than yours?" he asked slowly.

"No," she answered, frowning as she thought it over. It was true though, _why?_ "I don't see any reason. I'm older and more experienced. We're both Summoners…"

"Both Summoners…" echoed Garland thoughtfully, he stared off in the distance for several long moments until Dagger wondered whether he was sick. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers. "She has a horn."

"So? It just helps to communicate with animals."

"Not quite," he said. "Think about it. Animals are part of nature, and so are the Eidolons. She has a stronger bond because of her horn, she can understand and train them better because of it!" he turned to her. "Why don't you have one?"

She remembered the dream she had… memories more like. "I had one," she said. "But it was cut off."

"Let me see."

She hesitantly pushed the hair on her forehead away, revealing a rather strange looking slash where her horn had been. She flinched as she ran his cold fingers over the old wound. After many minutes, he stepped back.

"So…" he whispered, before walking out, his cloak billowing around him.

He left Dagger staring after him, puzzled.

……

For the next few days, he kept in his room, leaving Dagger and Arbron to their own devices. With him busy, Arbron showed her around the library while she haltingly and painfully told him what happened in Alexandria.

"… they just don't understand," she finished bitterly.

"Not many people do," he said, as though it was something she ought to know.

"You aren't very comforting," she said huffily, half joking.

"Wasn't meant to be," he pointed out, giving her a slight grin, making her smile back. Over the days, she'd grown more and more used to Arbron and his strange habits.

Abruptly, Garland burst into the room, he looked at both of them and said, "Come."

Dagger eyed him cautiously, there was the scent of many fumes clinging onto him, his hair looked frazzled and he seemed exhausted and energetic at the same time.

They followed him to another room, inside were two boiling cauldrons and many strange ingredients. On the ground, there were runes, symbols and shapes encircling a five pointed star drawn out of something she couldn't identify. He dragged her over to the first cauldron which was an angry red colour, impatiently, he yanked out a strand of her long hair, ignoring her cry of annoyance. He dropped it into the bubbling pot, causing it to turn silver. Then he went to the next one which was a sickly green and took out a dagger. He used the tip to cut her finger lightly and allowed five drops of blood to ooze out before pushing her away.

As she watched him, Arbron silently handed her a vial of salve to put over the cut. She nodded her thanks as Garland continued muttering over the latter which had turned clear the moment her blood had entered. Picking up a well decorated porcelain urn, he walked over to the star and started sprinkling the water in it over the symbols.

"Are you going to tell us what's going on anytime soon?" she grumbled.

"Hush, you foolish girl," he hissed, "It took me days to get everything right," he pointed to the cauldrons. "That will regrow you horn, and this," he pointed to the urn. "Is the Holy Water straight for an underground river in Madain Sari. It's part of the ritual."

He shoved her none to gently into the middle of the shapes and poured both the potions into separate vials. He gave her the clear one and told her to drink it while he smeared the silver liquid over her scar. Obediently, she swallowed the formula. Immediately, she wished she hadn't. She dropped to her knees and gritted her teeth. The liquid was burning down her throat and the other one felt like it was eating straight into her skull. Garland was standing in front of her, gesturing wildly and mumbling gibberish under his breath, but it only increased her pain.

She couldn't take it anymore and let out an ear splitting scream. The pain was terrible, now all of it was centered on her head, it ached and throbbed, making her feel like it had been cleaved open at the brow. She dimly noticed Arbron rushing to her, but Garland halted him. She shrieked like an animal, feeling pain beyond anything that she had ever experienced. She was sure that Garland had done something wrong somehow… was it supposed to hurt like this? Was it supposed to feel like a million axes were hammering down mercilessly upon her head?

She could wonder no more.

She blacked out.

**A/N: Well… I'm not sure what to say about this chapter… I can hardly believe I even wrote it. Truth be told, I wasn't even ready to post for at least another month. At first, I was thinking of updating my Harry Potter fic instead, but I felt sooo guilty for not updating for over a month. But this was pretty fast compared to before, right? Actually, I'm not really sure where to go from now, but I've got a very vague idea… So… give me some time, and I'm sorry to say, but, don't count on an update anytime soon. I've got to think the plot through.**

**I have to say, I love you guys! I adore the input you give me!**

**Anyway, I wrote this on the computer in a few hours, so I'm not sure how it is. Sorry if it sucks. Here, I've exposed a different side of Eiko, at least, this is the way I think she should be after her past. Well… review! Sorry if it sucks.**


	15. Authoress' Note

Authoress' Note: I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. I know that I haven't updated in what seems like a millennia. But I've been so busy. Actually, I tried to force myself to update once, but what I wrote ended up as crap. So, I've decided, if I'm going to write, I want to make sure I'm writing the best I can. And you, my readers, my story and myself, hardly deserve second hand work. Now, I'm going to update when inspiration hits, when I feel so desolate as I have no Final Fantasy IX games to play, because that is when I write best.

I can't promise you when my next chapter will be out. The only thing I can promise is that it will be out, because I love this story as I love the game. FF9 was something that wreaked havoc on my imagination, that fanciful, girlish, romantic heart of mine. And I can't bear to give it anything other than my best. So, I only hope that you'll be patient enough to wait for my upcoming chapters. I just need a burst of inspiration…

Or, maybe I just need medicine.

Well, I think I'll have a better chance of really getting to my story after I finish Bring It On, from Harry Potter. Then, I can concentrate and fully work out the plot. Once again, I'm sorry.

Yours,

Elven Dagger.

P.S. I'll replace the Authoress' note with a chapter. I know we're not just supposed to post like this.


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